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VGTERSi 


A1NJ3    STI^AISTQE  "EVENTS 
!  i V'  S.  BARING- GOULD,  M.^. 


CO  o  o  o  o 


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CORNISH    CHARACTERS 
AND    STRANGE    EVENTS 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

UNIFORM   WITH   THIS   VOLUME 

DEVONSHIRE  CHARACTERS 
AND  STRANGE  EVENTS 
With  55  Full-page  Illustrations 
Reproduced   from  Old  Prints,   etc. 


1  HCiMAs    I'll  I,     l.DKD    (  A.MKI.l'UKl) 


CORNISH 

CHARACTERS 

AND    STRANGE    EVENTS 
BY  S.  BARING-GOULD,  M.A. 

WITH  62'FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 
REPRODUCED   FROM    OLD    PRINTS,   ETC. 


"We  all  are  men, 
In  our  own  natures  frail,  and  capable 
Of  our  flesh  ;  few  are  angels." 

Henry  VIII  (Act  V,  Sc.  2). 


LONDON:    JOHN    LANE   THE   BODLEY   HEAD 
NEW    YORK:    JOHN    LANE    COMPANY      MCMIX 


PLYMOUTH:     WILLIAM    BKKNDON    AND   SON,    LTD.,    J-HINTF.RS 


PREFACE 


CORNWALL,    peopled    mainly  by   Celts,    but 
with  an  infusion  of  English  blood,  stands  and 
always  has  stood  apart  from  the  rest  of  Eng- 
land,   much,    but    in    a   less    degree,    as    has 
Wales.      That  which  brought  it   into    more    intimate 
association  with  English  thought,  interests,   and  pro- 
gress was  the  loss  of  the  old  Cornish  tongue. 

The  isolation  in  which  Cornwall  had  stood  has 
tended  to  develop  in  it  much  originality  of  character  ; 
and  the  wildness  of  the  coast  has  bred  a  hardy  race  of 
seamen  and  smugglers  ;  the  mineral  wealth,  moreover, 
drew  thousands  of  men  underground,  and  the  under- 
ground life  of  the  mines  has  a  peculiar  effect  on  mind 
and  character :  it  is  cramping  in  many  ways,  but  it 
tends  to  develop  a  good  deal  of  religious  enthusiasm, 
that  occasionally  breaks  forth  in  wild  forms  of  fanati- 
cism. Cornwall  has  produced  admirable  sailors,  men 
who  have  won  deathless  renown  in  warfare  at  sea,  as 
''Old  Dreadnought"  Boscawen,  Pellew,  Lord  Ex- 
mouth,  etc.,  and  daring  and  adventurous  smugglers, 
like  ''The  King  of  Prussia,"  who  combined  great 
religious  fervour  with  entire  absence  of  scruple  in  the 
matter  of  defrauding  the  king's  revenue.  It  has  pro- 
duced men  of  science  who  have  made  for  themselves 
a    world-fame,    as    Adams    the    astronomer,    and    Sir 


viii  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Humphry  Davy  the  chemist  ;  men  who  have  been 
benefactors  to  their  race,  as  Henry  Trengrouse,  Sir 
Goldsworthy  Gurney,  and  Trevithick.  It  has  sent 
forth  at  least  one  notable  painter,  the  miner's  boy  Opie, 
and  a  dramatist,  Samuel  Foote,  and  a  great  singer  in 
his  day,  Incledon.  But  it  has  not  given  to  literature 
a  great  poet.  Minor  rhymes  have  been  produced  in 
great  quantities,  but  none  of  great  worth.  Philoso- 
phers have  issued  from  the  mines,  as  Samuel  Drew, 
eccentrics  many,  as  Sir  James  Tillie,  John  Knill,  and 
Daniel  Gumb.  And  Cornwall  has  contributed  a 
certain  number  of  rascals — but  fewer  in  number  than 
almost  any  other  county,  if  we  exclude  wreckers  and 
smugglers  from  the  catalogue  of  rascality. 

Strange  superstitions  have  lingered  on,  and  one  very 
curious  story  of  a  girl  fed  for  years  by  fairies  has  been 
put  on  record. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  Cornwall  has  pro- 
duced no  musical  genius  of  any  note  ;  and  yet  the 
Cornishman  is  akin  to  the  Welshman  and  the  Irishman. 

Cornwall  has  certainly  sent  up  to  London  and 
Westminster  very  able  politicians,  as  Godolphin,  Sir 
William  Molesworth,  and  Sir  John  Eliot.  It  furnished 
Tyburn  with  a  victim — Hugh  Peters,  the  chaplain  of 
Oliver  Cromwell,  a  strange  mixture  of  money-grasp- 
ing, enthusiasm,  and  humour. 

It  has  been  the  object  of  the  author,  not  to  retell  the 
lives  of  the  greatest  of  the  sons  of  Cornwall,  for  these 
lives  may  be  read  in  the  Dictionary  of  National 
Biography^  but  to  chronicle  the  stories  of  lesser 
luminaries  concerning  whom  less  is  known  and  little 
is  easily  accessible.     In  this  way  it  serves  as  a  com- 


PREFACE  ix 

panion  volume  to  Devonshire  Characters;  and  Cornwall 
in  no  particular  falls  short  of  Devonshire  in  the 
variety  of  characters  it  has  sent  forth,  nor  are  their 
stories  of  less  interest. 

The  author  and  publisher  have  to  thank  many  for 
kind  help  :  Mr.  Percy  Bate,  Mr.  T.  R.  Bolitho,  Rev. 
A.  T.  Boscawen,  Mr.  J.  A.  Bridger,  Mr.  T.  Walter 
Brimacombe,  Mr.  A.  M.  Broadley,  Mr.  R.  P.  Chope, 
Mr.  Digby  Collins,  Mr.  J.  B.  Cornish,  Mrs.  Coryton 
of  Pentillie  Castle,  Miss  Loveday  E.  Drake,  Mr. 
E.  H.  W.  Dunkin,  f.s.a.,  Mr.  J.  D.  Enys  of  Enys, 
the  Rev.  Wm.  lago,  Mrs.  H.  Forbes  Julian,  Mrs. 
de  Lacy  Lacy,  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Malan,  Mr.  Lewis 
Melville,  Mr.  A.  H.  Norway,  Captain  Rogers  of  Pen- 
rose, Mr.  Thomas  Seccombe,  Mr.  Henry  Trengrouse, 
Mr.  W.  H.  K.  Wright,  and  Mr.  Henry  Young  of 
Liverpool — and  last,  but  not  least.  Miss  Windeatt 
Roberts  for  her  admirable  Index  to  the  volume. 

The  publisher  wishes  me  to  say  that  he  would 
much  like  to  discover  the  whereabouts  of  a  full-length 
portrait  of  Sir  John  Call,  with  a  view  of  Bodmin  Gaol 
in  the  background. 

S.  BARING-GOULD. 


CONTENTS 


WILLIAM    PENGELLY,    GEOLOGIST 

SIR   CHARLES   WILLS,    K.B. 

LIEUTENANT   GOLDSMITH   AND   THE    LOGAN    ROCK 

HUGH   PETERS,   THE   REGICIDE    . 

JAMES    POLKINGHORNE,   THE   WRESTLER 

HENRY   TRENGROUSE,   INVENTOR 

THE    BOTATHAN    GHOST 

JOHN   COUCH   ADAMS,    ASTRONOMER     . 

DANIEL   GUMB 

LAURENCE    BRADDON 

THOMASINE   BONAVENTURA 

THE   MURDER   OF    NEVILL   NORWAY      . 

SIR   WILLIAM    LOWER,    KNT. 

THE    PIRATES    AT    PENZANCE 

DAME    KILLIGREW        .... 

TWO    NATURALISTS    IN    CORNWALL 
John  Ralfs 
George  Carter  Bignell 

SIR  JOHN   CALL,    BART. 

JOHN   KNILL 

THOMAS   TREGOSS 

ANTHONY    PAYNE 

NEVIL   NORTHEY   BURNARD 

SIR   GOLDSWORTHY   GURNEY,    KNT.,    INVENTOR 

THE   JANES 


PAGE 
I 

12 

l8 

26 

54 

59 
72 

83 
91 
96 
108 
117 
126 
130 

133 
141 

154 
i6g 
176 
181 
i86 
192 
206 


xn 


CORNISH   CHARACTERS 


THE    PENNINGTONS      . 

DOCTOR    GLYNN-CLOBERY     . 

THREE   MEN    OF    MOUSEHOLE 

DOLLY    PENTREATH     . 

ROBERT   JEFFERY   OF    POLPERRO 

ADMIRAL    RICHARD   DARTON    THOMAS 

COMMANDER   JOHN    POLLARD 

THE   CASE    OF    BOSAVERN    PENLEZ 

SAMUEL    FOOTE 

THE    LAST    LORD    MOHUN     . 

THE    LAST   LORD   CAMELFORD 

WILLIAM    NOYE 

WILLIAM    LEMON 

SAMUEL   DREW 

THE    SIEGE   OF   SKEWIS 

THE   VOYAGE   OF   JOHN   SANDS     . 

CHARLES    INCLEDON    . 

THE   MURDER    OF    RICHARD   CORYTON 

SIR   JAMES   TILLIE,    KNT. 

LIEUTENANT   JOHN    HAWKEY 

DR.    DANIEL   LOMBARD 

THE   DREAM    OF    MR.    WILLIAMS 

SIR    ROBERT   TRESILIAN 

PIRATE   TRELAWNY      . 

JAMES    SILK    BUCKINGHAM 

MARY   ANN   DAVENPORT,    ACTRESS 

THE    ROYAL    FAMILY   OF    PRUSSIA 

CAPTAIN    RICHARD    KEIGWIN 

THE   LOSS    OF   THE    "  KENT " 

VICE-ADMIRAL   SIR   CHARLES   V.    PENROSE 


CONTENTS 

SIR   CHRISTOPHER    HAWKINS,    BART.     . 

ANNE   JEFFERIES  .... 

THOMAS   KILLIGREW,    THE   KING's   JESTER 

NICOLAS    ROSCARROCK 

LIEUTENANT   PHILIP   G.    KING       . 

HICKS    OF    BODMIN       .... 

CAPTAIN    TOBIAS    MARTIN    . 

THE    MAYOR    OF    BODMIN     . 

JOHN   NICHOLS    TOM,  ALIAS  SIR    WILLIAM   COURTENAY 

THE   BOHELLAND    TRAGEDY 

MARY    KELYNACK         .... 

CAPTAIN    WILLIAM    ROGERS 

JOHN    BURTON    OF   FALMOUTH      . 

THE   FATE   OF   SIR   CLOUDESLEY   SHOVEL 

FRANCIS   TREGIAN       .... 

ANN    GLANVILLE  .... 

JONATHAN    SIMPSON,    HIGHWAYMAN      . 

DAVIES   GILBERT  .... 

JAMES    HOSKIN,    FARMER      . 

JOHN    HARRIS,    THE   MINER   POET 

EDWARD   CHAPMAN     .... 

JOHN   COKE   OF   TRERICE    . 

THOMAS    PELLOW    OF    PENRYN      . 

THE   ORIGIN   OF   THE   ROBARTES    FAMILY 

THEODORE    PALEOLOGUS      . 


K.M. 


Xlll 

PAGE 

544 
554 
559 
569 
579 
586 

593 
614 
620 
623 
627 

637 
652 
663 
670 

675 
682 

692 

701 

704 

707 

718 

727 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Thomas  Pitt,  Lord  Camelford Frontispiece 

TO    FACE    PAGE 

William  Pengelly 2 

From  a  painting  by  A.  S.  Cope,  reproduced  by  permission  of  Mrs.  H.  Forbes 
Julian 

Lieutenant-General  Sir  Charles  Wills 12 

From  an  engraving  by  Simon,  after  a  picture  by  M.  Dahl 

A  View  of  the  Celebrated  Logan  Kock,  near  Land's  End 
IN  Cornwall 18 

Taken  after  the  Rock  was  displaced  on  the  Sth  of  April,  1824.     From  a  litho- 
graph by  Vibert,  after  a  drawing  by  Tonkin 

A  View  of  the  Southern  Part  of  Castle  Treryn,  showing 
the  Machinery  erected  for  the  purpose  of  replacing  the 
Logan  Rock 22 

From  a  lithograph  by  Vibert,  after  a  drawing  by  Tonkin 

Hugh  Peters 26 

From  an  old  engraving 

James  Polkinghorne,  the  Famous  Cornish  Wrestler     .        .       54 

From  a  drawing  as  he  appeared  in  the  Ring  at  Devonport  on  Monday, 
23  October,  1826,  when  he  threw  Ab™.  Cann,  the  Champion  of  Devonshire, 
for  a  stake  of  200  sovereigns 

Henry  Trengrouse,  the  Inventor  of  the  Rocket  Apparatus 
for  Saving  Life  at  Sea 60 

From  an  oil  painting  by  Opie  the  younger,  reproduced  by  permission  of  Mr  H. 
Trengrouse 

The  Wreck  of  the  "Anson" 66 

From  a  sketch  by  Mr.  H.  Trengrouse 

"Parson  Rudall" 72 

From  a  painting  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  S.  Baring-Gould 

John  Couch  Adams 84 

From  a  mezzotint  by  Samuel  Cousins,  a.r.a.,  after  a  picture  by  Thomas 
Mogford.     From  the  collection  of  Mrs.  Lewis  Lane 

John  Couch  Adams 88 

The  Cheese-wring 92 

From  an  etching  by  Letitia  Byrne,  after  a  drawing  by  J.  Farington,  r.a. 

XV 


xvi  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

TO   FACE   PAGB 

Nevill  Norway ii8 

From  a  painting  in  the  possession  of  Miss  A.  T.  Norway 

Sir  William  Lower 126 

The  Killygrew  Cup I34 

"  1633.       FROM   MAIOR  to  MAIOR  TO  THE  TOWNE  OF  PERMARIN, 
where  THEY  RECEIVED  MEE  THAT  WAS  IN  GREAT  MISERY" 

Jane  Killygrew 

This  cup  has  been  recently  valued  at  the  sum  of  ;C4ooo-  It  measures  just  two 
feet  in  height 

George  Carter  Bignell 142 

From  a  photograph 

John  Ralfs 146 

Reproduced  by  permission  of  Miss  Loveday  E.  Drake 

Sir  John  Call,  Bart IS4 

From  a  portrait  (by  A.  Hickle)  in  the  possession  of  his  great-granddaughter, 
Mrs.  de  Lacy  Lacy 

WhITEFORD — THE    RESIDENCE   OF   SiR  JOHN    CaLL  ....       I64 
From  a  drawing  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  de  Lacy  Lacy 

John  Knill 17° 

After  a  picture  by  Opie  in  the  possession  of  Captain  Rogers,  of  Penrose 

Glass  inscribed  "Success  to  the  Eagle  Frigate,  John  Knill, 
Commander" 172 

From  the  collection  of  Percy  Bate,  Esq.,  of  Glasgow 

Anthony  Payne 182 

From  a  painting  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  purchased  by  Sir  Robert  Harvey, 
High  Sheriff  of  Cornwall,  igoi,  and  presented  to  the  Institute  of  Cornwall 

Nevil  Northey  Burnard 186 

From  a  bas-relief  by  the  sculptor  himself,  in  the  possession  of  S.  Pearn,  Esq., 
Altarnon 

Wesley's    Head    over    the    Old    Meeting-house,    Penpont, 
Altarnon.     Cut  by  Burnard  when  16  years  of  age  .         .         .      188 

Tombstones  cut  by  Burnard 18S 

That  on  the  right  is  upon  the  grave  of  his  grandfather  in  .\ltarnon  Churchyard, 
and  was  cut  when  the  sculptor  was  only  14  years  old  ;  the  one  on  the  left  is  in 
Bodmin  Churchyard 

Tombstones  in  Altarnon  Churchyard.     Cut  by  Burnard    .        .     190 
Sir  Goldsworthy  Gurney 192 

From  a  lithograph  by  W.  Sharp,  after  a  drawing  by  S.  C.  Smith 

Dorothy  Pentreath  of  Mousehole  in  Cornwall.     The  last 
Person  who  could  Converse  in  the  Cornish  Language     .     232 

From  a  drawing  by  R.  Scadden 

Monschole,  in  Mount's  Bay,  from  the  Island  .        .        .     238 

From  a  drawing  by  Captain  Tremenhere 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xvii 

TO    FACE    PAGE 

Samuel  Foote 280 

The  Last  Lord  Mohun 298 

From  a  mezzotint  by  I.  Faber,  after  a  picture  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller 

The  Duel  between  Lord  Mohun  and  the  Duke  of  Hamilton     312 

From  a  contemporary  mezzotint  in  the  British  Museum 

Sir  William  Noye,  Attorney-General  to  King  Charles  the 
First 330 

Sir  William  Lemon,  Bart.,  M.P.  for  Cornwall      .        .        .     342 

From  an  engraving  by  J.  H.  Meyer 

Samuel  Drew 346 

From  an  engraving  by  R.  Hicks,  after  a  painting  by  F.  Moore 

Henry  Rogers,  Pewterer 364 

Charles  Incledon,  as  Macheath 376 

From  an  engraving  by  J.  Thomson,  after  a  painting  by  Singleton 

Sir  James  Tillie,  Knt 400 

Sir  James  Tillie's  Monument  at  Pentillie       ....     406 
Edward  John  Trelawny 442 

From  a  drawing  by  D.  Lucas 

James  Silk  Buckingham 456 

Mrs.  Davenport,  in  the  Character  of  Mrs.  Grundy     .        .     466 

From  an  engraving  by  Ridley,  after  a  picture  by  De  Wilde 

At  Prussia  Cove.     "Bessy's"  Cove  from  Battery  Point        .     470 

From  a  drawing  in  the  possession  of  J.  B.  Cornish,  Esq. 

John  Carter's  House  at  Prussia  Cove.     (Demolished  in  1906)    476 

From  a  photograph  by  Gibson  &  Sons,  Penzance 

Vice-Admiral  Sir  Charles  V.  Penrose,  k.c.b 500 

From  a  picture  by  Allingham 

Thomas    Killigrew,    Groom    of    the    Bedchamber    to    King 
Charles  the  Second 544 

From  an  engraving  by  I.  Vander  vaart,  after  a  picture  by  W.  Wissens 

Lieutenant  Philip  Gidley  King 560 

From  an  engraving  by  W.  Skelton,  after  a  drawing  by  J.  Wright 

William  R.  Hicks 570 

William  R.  Hicks  of  Bodmin 576 

From  a  Caricature 


xviii  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

TO   FACE    PAGE 

John  Thomas,  otherwise  Sir  William  Courtenay,  who  shot 
Lieutenant  Bennet  in  Basenden  Wood,  Boughton,  near 
Canterbury,  and  the  Constable  Mears,  on  Thursday, 
May  31ST,  1838 594 

Percy  Honeywood  Courtenay,  Knight  of  Malta,  etc.  etc, 
AS  he  appeared  at  the  Election  in  1832       ....    608 

Mary  Kelynack      . 620 

Captain  W.  Rogers 624 

From  an  engraving  by  Ridley  and  Blood,  after  a  picture  by  Drummond 

John  Burton  of  Falmouth 628 

Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel 638 

Ann  Glanville 664 

Davies  Gilbert 676 

From   a   mezzotint   by   Samuel    Cousins,    a. r. a. .after    a    picture    by   Henry 
Howard,  r.a.     From  the  collection  of  Mrs.  Lewis  Lane 

John  Harris,  the  Miner  Poet 692 

The  Right  Hon.  John  Earl  of  Radnor  :  Baron  Roberts  of 
Truro 718 

After  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller 

Memorial  Brass  in  the  Church  of  Landulph  .        .        .     728 

Reproduced  by  permission  of  E.  H.  W.  Dunkin,  Esq.,  f.s.a.,  from  his  book  on 
Cornish  Brasses 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 
AND    STRANGE   EVENTS 


CORNISH 

CHARACTERS 

AND    STRANGE    EVENTS 

WILLIAM    PENGELLY,    GEOLOGIST 

WILLIAM  PENGELLY  was  born  at  East 
Looe  on  January  12th,  181 2,  and  was  the 
son  of  the  captain  of  a  small  coasting 
vessel  and  nephew  of  a  notorious  smug- 
gler. The  Pengellys  had,  in  fact,  been  connected  with 
the  sea  for  several  generations.  His  mother  was  a 
Prout  of  the  same  family  as  the  famous  water-colour 
artist. 

As  a  child  his  career  was  almost  cut  short  by  fire. 
An  aunt  came  to  stay  with  the  Pengellys,  arriving  a 
day  before  she  was  expected.  Early  on  the  following 
morning,  when  sitting  in  her  bedroom  window,  wrapped 
in  a  thick  woollen  shawl,  she  saw  her  little  nephew 
William  rush  out  of  the  house  enveloped  in  flames. 
She  hurried  after  him,  and  managed  to  smother  the  fire 
with  her  woollen  garment,  and  thus  saved  the  child's 
life,  though  she  was  herself  so  badly  burnt  that  she 
carried  the  scars  to  her  dying  day.  The  little  boy  had 
risen  early,  and  had  kindled  a  fire  so  that  he  might  go 
on  with  his  lessons  before  any  one  else  was  astir  in  the 

B 


2  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

house,  with  the  result  that  he  set  light  to  his  clothes, 
and  except  for  the  premature  arrival  of  his  aunt,  must 
certainly  have  been  burnt  to  death. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  he  went  to  sea.  He  says  : — 
''Our  voyages  were  short.  I  do  not  remember  an 
instance  of  being  at  sea  more  than  three  consecutive 
days  ;  so  that,  except  when  windbound,  we  were  almost 
always  taking  in  or  taking  out  cargo.  The  work  was 
hard,  but  the  food  was  abundant,  and  on  the  whole  the 
life,  though  rough,  was  not  unpleasant. 

"To  me — thinking  nothing  of  the  pecuniary  aspects 
of  the  question — the  most  enjoyable  occasions  were 
those  which  fierce  contrary  winds  brought  us,  when  we 
had  to  seek  some  harbour  of  refuge.  These  were  by 
no  means  necessarily  holidays,  for,  if  the  weather  were 
dry,  advantage  was  taken  of  the  enforced  leisure  to 
give  our  craft  a  thorough  cleaning,  or  to  repair  her 
rigging,  or  to  make  up  the  books.  Moreover,  the  crew 
employed  me  to  write  letters  to  their  wives  from  their 
dictation.  These  epistles  were  generally  of  a  remark- 
able character,  and  some  of  them  remain  firmly  fixed 
in  my  memory.  The  foregoing  labours  disposed  of, 
and  foul  winds  still  prevailing,  we  had  a  washing  day, 
or,  better  than  all,  a  bout  of  tailoring,  which  did  not 
generally  get  beyond  repairing,  though  occasionally 
the  ambitious  flight  of  making  a  pair  of  trousers 
was  attempted.  On  tailoring  days  it  was  understood 
that  my  clothes  should  be  repaired  for  me,  in  order 
that  I  might  read  aloud  for  the  general  benefit.  We 
assembled  in  our  little  cabin,  where  the  stitching  and 
smoking  went  on  simultaneously,  and  with  great 
vigour.  My  poor  library  consisted  of  a  Bible,  the 
eighth  volume  of  the  Spectator,  Johnson's  English 
Dictionary,  a  volume  of  the  Weekly  Miscellany,  the 
History  of  John  Gilpin,  Baron  Munchausen'' s  Travels, 


Kc/>i0(/iucii  /'y  /'criiiissioit  of  Mrs.  tl .  Fothes  J itliait 


WILLIAM    PENGELLY,   GEOLOGIST         3 

Walkinghame's  Arithmetic,  and  a  book  of  songs. 
My  hearers  were  not  very  fastidious,  but  allowed  me  to 
read  pretty  much  what  I  pleased,  though,  truth  to  tell, 
the  Spectator  was  not  a  favourite  ;  some  portions  of  it 
were  held  to  be  nonsensical,  and  others  were  considered 
to  be  so  lacking  in  truthfulness  that  it  was  generally 
termed  the  'lying  book.'  This  ill  repute  was  largely 
due  to  the  story  of  Fadlallah  (No.  578).  Walkinghame 
was  by  no  means  unpopular.  I  occasionally  read  some 
of  the  questions,  and  my  shipmates  endeavoured  to 
solve  them  mentally  ;  and  as  the  answers  were  all  given 
by  the  author,  I  had  to  declare  who  had  made  the 
nearest  guess,  for  it  was  very  often  but  little  more.  Of 
all  the  questions,  none  excited  so  much  interest  as  that 
which  asks,  What  will  be  the  cost  of  shoeing  a  horse  at 
a  farthing  for  the  first  nail,  two  for  the  second,  and  so 
on  in  geometrical  progression  for  thirty-two  nails, 
and  which  gives  for  the  answer  a  sum  but  little  short  of 
four  and  a  half  million  pounds  sterling.  This  was  so 
utterly  unexpected  that  it  went  far  to  confer  on  Walk- 
inghame the  same  name  that  Fadlallah  had  given  to  the 
Spectator.'" 

William  Pengelly  tells  a  curious  story  of  his  father, 
Richard  Pengelly  :  — 

"  After  completing  his  fifteenth  year  he  was  thinking 
of  going  to  sea.  When  he  was  sixteen,  his  father,  who 
was  a  sailor,  was  drowned  almost  within  sight  of  his 
home.  The  effect  on  the  boy  was  to  make  him  pause, 
and  on  his  friends,  to  urge  him  to  give  up  the  idea. 
For  some  months  these  influences  kept  him  quiet,  but 
at  length  his  restlessness  returned  so  strongly,  that  he 
would  have  gone  to  sea  at  once,  had  he  felt  satisfied 
that  his  father  would  have  approved  the  step.  To 
ascertain  this  point  he  prayed  frequently  and  earnestly 
that  his  father's  spirit  might  be  allowed  to  appear  to 


4  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

him,  with  a  pleasing  or  frowning  aspect,  according  as 
he  might  approve  or  disapprove.  At  length  he 
believed  his  prayer  to  have  been  answered,  and  that 
when  in  the  field  ploughing  he  saw  his  father,  who 
passed  by  looking  intently  and  smilingly  at  him.  This 
decided  him.  He  became  a  sailor  at  seventeen,  and  as 
such  died  at  a  good  old  age." 

One  bitterly  cold  night  at  sea,  young  Pengelly  and 
some  other  of  his  shipmates  having  closed  the  cabin 
door,  lit  a  charcoal  fire,  and  speedily  fell  asleep,  suc- 
cumbing to  the  fumes  of  carbonic  acid.  Happily  one 
of  the  crew  who  had  been  on  deck  entered  the  cabin. 
He  found  the  greatest  difficulty  in  awakening  his  com- 
rades to  sufficient  consciousness  to  enable  them  to 
stumble  up  the  ladder  to  get  a  breath  of  fresh  air,  for 
their  sleep  had  well-nigh  become  that  of  death.  The 
strong  and  hardy  seamen  soon  recovered,  but  the  boy 
was  so  seriously  affected  that,  long  after  he  had  been 
carried  upon  deck,  he  could  not  be  roused,  and  was 
only  restored  to  consciousness  by  means  of  prolonged 
exertions  on  the  part  of  his  shipmates.  His  earliest 
geological  experience  was  made  when  a  sailor-boy 
weather-bound  on  the  Dorsetshire  coast,  and  he  was 
wont  to  relate  it  thus  : — 

"I  received  my  first  lesson  in  geology  at  Lyme 
Regis,  very  soon  after  I  had  entered  my  teens.  A 
labourer,  whom  I  was  observing,  accidentally  broke  a 
large  stone  of  blue  lias  and  thus  disclosed  a  fine  am- 
monite— the  first  fossil  of  any  kind  that  I  had  ever  seen 
or  heard  of. 

''In  reply  to  my  exclamation,  'What's  that?'  the 
workman  said,  with  a  sneer,  '  If  you  had  read  your 
Bible  you'd  know  what  'tis.'  'I  have  read  my  Bible. 
But  what  has  that  to  do  with  it?' 

"  '  In  the  Bible  we're  told  there  was  once  a  flood  that 


WILLIAM    PENGELLY,   GEOLOGIST  5 

covered  all  the  world.  At  that  time  all  the  rocks 
were  mud,  and  the  different  things  that  were  drowned 
were  buried  in  it,  and  there's  a  snake  that  was  buried 
that  way.  There  are  lots  of  'em,  and  other  things 
besides,  in  the  rocks  and  stones  hereabouts.' 

'**Asnake!     But  where's  his  head?' 

*'  *  You  must  read  the  Bible,  I  tell  'ee,  and  then  you'll 
find  out  why  'tis  that  some  of  the  snakes  in  the  rocks 
ain't  got  no  heads.  We're  told  there,  that  the  seed  of 
the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head,  that's  how 
'tis.'" 

When  in  his  sixteenth  year  William  Pengelly  lost 
his  younger  brother,  and  after  that  his  mother  would 
not  suffer  him  to  go  to  sea.  Some  years  were  spent  at 
Looe  in  self-education. 

While  still  quite  young  he  was  induced  by  a  relative 
of  his  mother  to  settle  at  Torquay,  at  that  time  a  small 
place,  but  rapidly  growing  and  attracting  residents  to 
it.  Here  he  opened  a  small  day-school  on  the  Pesta- 
lozzian  system,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  introduce  the 
use  of  the  blackboard  and  chalk.  The  school  opened 
with  six  scholars,  but  rapidly  increased  to  about  seventy. 

It  was  now  that  scientific  studies  began  to  occupy 
Pengelly's  attention,  and  above  all,  geology. 

In  1837  he  married  Mary  Anne  Mudge,  whose  health 
was  always  delicate. 

Little  by  little  his  renown  as  a  geologist  spread,  and 
he  did  not  confine  himself  to  the  deposits  in  Devonshire, 
but  travelled  to  Scotland  and  elsewhere  to  examine  the 
rocks,  and  to  meet  and  consult  with  eminent  scientists. 

In  1846  his  private  pupils  had  grown  so  numerous 
that  he  was  able  to  give  up  his  school  altogether  and 
become  a  tutor  of  mathematics  and  the  natural  sciences. 
He  tells  a  very  amusing  story  of  a  visit  made  during 
holiday  time  to  an  old  friend. 


6  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

"  I  one  day  learned  that  my  road  lay  within  a  couple 
of  miles  of  the  rectory  of  my  old  mathematical  friend 

D .     We  had  been  great  friends  when   he  was  a 

curate  in  a  distant  part  of  the  country,  but  had  not 
met  for  several  years,  during  which  he  had  been  ad- 
vanced from  a  curacy  of  about  i^8o  to  a  rectory  of  iJ"20O 
per  year,  and  a  residence,  in  a  very  secluded  district. 
My  time  was  very  short,  but  for  '  auld  lang  syne '  I 
decided  to  sacrifice  a   few   hours.      On    reaching   the 

house  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D were  fortunately  at  home, 

and  received  me  with  their  wonted  kindness. 

"The  salutations  were  barely  over,  when  I  said— 

"  '  It  is  now  six  o'clock  ;  I  must  reach  Wellington  to- 
night, and  as  it  is  said  to  be  fully  eight  miles  off,  and  I 
am  utterly  unacquainted  with  the  road,  and  with  the 
town  when  I  reach  it,  I  cannot  remain  with  you  one 
minute  after  eight  o'clock.' 

"'Oh,  very  well,'  said  D ,  'then  we  must  im- 
prove the  shining  hour.  Jane,  my  dear,  be  so  good  as 
to  order  tea.' 

"Having  said  this  he  left  the  room.  In  a  few 
minutes  he  returned  with  a  book  under  his  arm  and  his 
hands  filled  with  writing  materials,  which  he  placed  on 
the  table.     Opening  the  book,  he  said — 

"  'This  is  Hind's  Trigonometry ^  and  here's  a  lot  of 
examples  for  practice.  Let  us  see  which  can  do  the 
greatest  number  of  them  by  eight  o'clock.  I  did  most 
of  them  many  years  ago,  but  I  have  not  looked  at 
them  since.  Suppose  we  begin  at  this  one' — which  he 
pointed  out — 'and  take  them  as  they  come.  We  can 
drink  our  tea  as  we  work,  so  as  to  lose  no  time.' 

"  'All  right,'  said  I  ;  though  it  was  certainly  not  the 
object  for  which  I  had  come  out  of  my  road. 

"Accordingly  we  set  to  work.  No  words  passed 
between    us ;    the  servant  brought  in  the   tray,    Mrs. 


WILLIAM    PENGELLY,   GEOLOGIST         7 

D handed  us  our  tea,  which  we  drank  now  and 

then,  and  the  time  flew  on  rapidly.  At  length,  finding 
it  to  be  a  quarter  to  eight — 

"'We  must  stop,'  said  I,  'for  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  I  must  be  on  my  road.' 

"'Very  well.  Let  us  see  how  our  answers  agree 
with  those  of  the  author.' 

"It  proved  that  he  had  correctly  solved  one  more 
than  I  had.     This  point  settled,  I  said  'Good-bye.' 

"  'Good-bye.  Do  come  again  as  soon  as  you  can. 
The  farmers  know  nothing  whatever  about  Trigo- 
nometry.' 

"  We  parted  at  the  rectory  door,  and  have  never  met 
since  ;  nor  shall  we  ever  do  so  more,  as  his  decease  oc- 
curred several  years  ago.  During  my  long  walk  to 
Wellington  my  mind  was  chiefly  occupied  with  the 
mental  isolation  of  a  rural  clergyman." 

In  185 1  he  lost  his  wife,  and  some  years  after  both 
his  children  by  her. 

In  1853  he  married  a  Lydia  Spriggs,  a  Quakeress. 

William  Pengelly's  scientific  explorations  may  be 
divided  under  three  heads.  The  first  was  his  minute 
and  accurate  examination  of  the  deposits  that  form 
Bovey  Heathfield,  where  there  are  layers  of  clay,  sand, 
and  lignite.  He  was  able  to  extract  numerous  fossil 
plants,  and  thereby  to  determine  the  approximate  age  of 
the  beds. 

Next  he  took  up  the  exploration  of  ossiferous  caves ; 
and  he  began  this  work  with  that  of  Brixham,  in  Wind- 
mill Hill. 

The  floor  of  this  cavern  was  excavated  in  successive 
stages  or  layers,  starting  from  the  entrance.  Bones 
were  found  in  the  stalagmite  and  in  the  first,  third,  and 
fourth  beds,  and  worked  flints  in  the  third  and  fourth 
beds  only  ;  but  where  the  third  bed  filled  the  cavern  up 


8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

to  the  rock,  its  upper  portion  contained  neither  bones 
nor  flints.  The  bones  were  those  of  the  mammoth,  the 
rhinoceros,  the  urus,  hyaena,  cave  lion  and  cave  bear, 
etc. 

But  by  far  the  most  laborious  scientific  undertaking 
of  Pengelly's  life  was  the  exploration  of  Kent's  Cavern, 
near  Torquay.  This  cave  was  known  as  far  back  as 
1824,  when  a  Mr.  Northmore,  of  Cleve,  near  Exeter, 
made  a  superficial  examination  of  it  to  ascertain 
whether  it  had  been  a  temple  of  Mithras,  and  quite 
satisfied  himself  on  this  point.  He  was  followed  by 
Sir  W.  C.  Trevelyan  and  by  the  Rev.  J.  MacEnery. 
But  it  was  not  till  1865  that  a  complete,  scientific,  and 
exhaustive  exploration  was  undertaken  by  the  British 
Association,  which  made  a  grant  of  ;!^ioo  for  the  pur- 
pose. Mr.  Pengelly  was  appointed  secretary  and 
reporter  to  the  committee  for  the  examination  of  the 
cave  and  its  deposits. 

It  was  found  that  the  floor  of  the  cave  exhibited  the 
following  succession  :  (i)  Blocks  of  limestone  some- 
times large,  clearly  fallen  from  the  roof.  (2)  A  layer  of 
black  mould  ranging  from  a  few  inches  to  upwards 
of  a  foot  in  depth.  (3)  Beneath  this  came  a  floor  of 
granular  stalagmite,  about  a  foot  in  thickness,  formed 
by  the  drip  of  water  from  the  roof.  (4)  A  red  loam 
containing  a  number  of  limestone  fragments.  (5)  A 
breccia  of  angular  fragments  of  limestone  and  peb- 
bles and  sandstone  embedded  in  a  reddish  sandy 
calcareous  paste. 

On  June  19th,  1880,  the  exploration  of  Kent's  Hole 
was  brought  to  an  end.  It  was  the  most  complete  and 
systematic  investigation  of  a  cavern  that  had  ever  been 
undertaken,  and  on  a  much  greater  scale  than  that  at 
Brixham.  A  task  of  this  kind  is  peculiarly  exacting. 
It  cannot  be  entrusted  to  workmen  ;  it  cannot  be  left 


WILLIAM    PENGELLY,   GEOLOGIST         9 

to  a  committee  whose  members  pay  but  intermittent 
visits  :  it  demands  the  constant  oversight  of  one  man  ; 
and  this  superintendence  was  given  to  Pengelly.  The 
total  amount  spent  on  this  exploration  was  ;;^2000. 
Pengelly  states  in  one  of  his  papers  that  in  the  fifteen 
and  a  quarter  years  during  which  the  excavation  was 
in  progress  he  visited  Kent's  Hole  almost  daily,  and 
spent  over  the  work,  on  an  average,  five  hours  a  day. 

"Above  the  stalagmite,  and  principally  in  the  black 
mould,  have  been  found  a  number  of  relics  belonging 
to  different  periods,  such  as  socketed  celts,  and  a 
socketed  knife  of  bronze,  and  some  small  fragments  of 
roughly  smelted  copper,  about  four  hundred  flint  flakes, 
cores,  and  chips,  a  polishing  stone,  a  ring  (made  of  Kim- 
meridge  clay),  numerous  spindle  whorls,  bone  instru- 
ments terminating  in  comb-like  ends,  pottery,  marine 
shells,  numerous  mammalian  bones  of  existing  species, 
and  some  human  bones,  on  which  it  has  been  thought 
there  are  traces  indicative  of  cannibalism.  Some  of 
the  pottery  is  distinctly  Roman  in  character ;  but 
many  of  the  objects  belong,  no  doubt,  to  pre-Roman 
times." 

What  was  found  beneath  the  stalagmite  belonged  to 
a  long  anterior  period,  where  it  had  lain  sealed  up  for, 
at  the  very  least,  two  thousand  years.  In  this  deposit 
of  the  cave  earth  were  found  a  large  number  of  chips, 
flakes,  and  implements  of  flint  and  chert,  stones  that 
had  served  as  pounders,  and  some  pins,  needles,  and 
harpoons  of  bone. 

Some  mammoth  bones  were  found  in  Kent's  Cavern, 
and  those  of  the  cave  lion,  the  sabre-toothed  tiger,  the 
glutton,  cave  bear,  woolly  rhinoceros,  horse,  reindeer, 
and  beaver. 

Mr.  W.  Pengelly  died  on  March  17th,  1894. 

A  writer  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Devonshire  As  so- 


lo  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ciation  for  1894  says:  ''For  science  he  lived,  and  for 
science  he  laboured,  even  long  after  the  age  when  the 
average  man  seeks  rest  and  quiet.  Starting  out  in 
original  lines  of  thought,  and  untrammelled  by  tra- 
ditions of  years  long  ago,  he  met  with  many  rebuffs, 
and  the  conclusions  which  he  derived  from  his  investi- 
gations and  minute  and  patient  inquiry  were  almost 
laughed  to  scorn.  But  he  adhered  to  his  work  and 
clung  to  his  beliefs,  with  enthusiastic  devotion,  and  in 
the  end  he  lived  to  see  even  those  who  had  originally 
stoutly  opposed  his  views  convinced  of  their  verity, 
and  their  inestimable  value  to  archaeological  and  geo- 
logical science." 

Pengelly  himself  left  this  piece  of  advice  to  the 
student : — 

"  Be  careful  in  scientific  inquiries  that  you  get  a 
sufficient  number  of  perfectly  trustworthy  facts  ;  that 
you  interpret  them  with  the  aid  of  a  rigorous  logic  ; 
that  on  suitable  occasions  you  have  courage  enough  to 
avow  your  convictions  ;  and  don't  be  impatient,  or  an- 
noyed, if  your  friends  don't  receive  all  your  conclusions, 
or  even  if  they  call  you  bad  names." 

It  must  be  remembered  that  Pengelly  and  Sir  Charles 
Lyell  were  those  who  startled  English  minds  with  the 
revelation  of  the  enormous  period  of  time  in  which 
man  had  lived  on  the  earth,  and  of  the  slow  progres- 
sion of  man  through  vast  ages  in  the  development  of 
civilization.  How  that  he  began  with  the  rudest  flint 
implements,  and  progressed  but  very  slowly  to  the 
perfection  of  these  stone  tools  ;  how  that  only  in  com- 
paratively recent  times  did  he  discover  the  use  of  metals 
and  pottery  ;  how  of  metals  he  first  employed  bronze, 
and  not  till  long  after  acquired  the  art  of  smelting  iron 
and  fashioning  tools  and  weapons  of  iron.  All  this 
startled  the  world,  and  men  were  very  unwilling  to  accept 


WILLIAM    PENGELLY,   GEOLOGIST        ii 

the  doctrine  propounded  and  to  acknowledge  the  facts 
on  which  this  doctrine  was  based. 

The  Life  of  William  Pengelly  was  written  by  his 
daughter  Hester  Pengelly,  and  published  by  Murray, 
1897.  Reference  has  been  made  as  well  to  the  obituary 
notice  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Devonshire  Association 
for  1894. 


SIR    CHARLES    WILLS,    K.B. 

SIR  CHARLES  WILLS  belonged  to  a  very 
ancient  and  widely  ramified  family  in  Corn- 
wall. The  first,  however,  of  whom  anything 
authentic  is  known  was  Anthony  Wills,  of 
Saltash,  who  died  in  1576.  They  were  settled  at  Lan- 
drake,  at  Morval,  Botusfleming,  Wyvelscombe,  Exeter, 
and  Gorran. 

Anthony  Wills,  of  Gorran,  youngest  son  of  Digory 
Wills,  of  Botusfleming,  had  a  son,  Anthony  Wills, 
who  was  the  father  of  the  Right  Hon.  Sir  Charles 
Wills,  K.B.,  general  of  His  Majesty's  forces,  bap- 
tized at  Gorran  23rd  October,  1666.  Sir  Charles 
had  two  brothers,  Richard,  of  Acombe,  in  the  county 
of  York,  and  Anthony,  of  the  Inner  Temple,  who  died 
in  Ireland  1689.  The  arms  of  the  family  are,  arg.  three 
griffins  passant,  in  pale,  sa.^  within  a  bordure  engrailed 
of  the  last  hezantee. 

Sir  Charles  was  a  subaltern  in  1693,  when  serving  in 
the  Low  Countries  under  William  III.  The  King 
went  to  Holland  at  the  end  of  March  in  that  year,  and 
returned  on  the  last  day  of  October,  when  the  armies 
went  into  winter  quarters.  Wills  was  in  the  battle  of 
Landen  and  at  the  siege  of  Namur.  On  the  13th 
October,  1705,  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  30th 
Regiment,  and  sailed  with  it  to  Spain.  He  acted  as 
quartermaster-general  to  the  troops  in  that  country, 
was  present  at  Llenda,  Almanza,  and  Saragossa,  and 
was    made    prisoner    in     171 1    with    the    army    under 


SIR   CHARLES   WILLS,   K.B.  13 

General  Stanhope,  but  was  released  at  the  end  of  the 
war. 

He  had  been  appointed  brigadier-general  in  1707, 
major-general  on  ist  January,  1709,  and  lieutenant- 
general  i6th  November,  17 10.  After  the  peace  of  1715, 
being  in  command  of  the  troops  in  the  Midland  dis- 
trict, he  marched  northwards  to  meet  the  rebels  from 
Scotland,  and  he  and  General  Carpenter  met  them  at 
Preston.  Preston  was  a  town  both  Jacobite  and  Roman 
Catholic  ;  and  in  it  was  the  army  of  the  Pretender, 
composed  of  Scottish  Highlanders  and  Lancashire 
gentry  and  their  retainers. 

General  Carpenter,  who  had  been  marching  into 
Scotland,  turned  back  into  Northumberland,  and  by 
forced  marches  had  reached  Durham,  where  he  com- 
bined with  General  Wills,  who  had  been  sent  some 
time  before  into  the  north  to  quell  the  many  riots  that 
preluded  the  insurrection. 

Wills  concentrated  six  regiments  of  cavalry,  for  the 
most  part  newly  raised,  but  commanded  by  experienced 
officers,  at  Manchester,  whence  he  moved  to  Wigan. 
There  it  was  arranged  that  Wills  should  march  straight 
upon  Preston,  while  Carpenter,  advancing  in  another 
direction,  should  take  the  insurgents  in  flank.  As  the 
Hanoverians  approached,  General  Forster,  who  com- 
manded the  Jacobites,  gave  satisfactory  evidence  that 
he  was  no  soldier  ;  he  fell  into  a  fright  and  confusion, 
and  betook  himself  to  bed.  But  Lord  Kenmure  roused 
him,  and  in  a  hurried  council,  where  all  the  gentlemen 
had  a  voice,  and  where  those  spoke  loudest  who  knew 
least  of  war,  a  plan  of  defending  Preston  was  adopted. 
But  the  plan,  at  least  as  executed,  consisted  merely  in 
throwing  up  some  barricades  in  the  streets  and  in 
posting  some  men  in  defence  of  them.  Brigadier 
Mackintosh  either  knew  not  the  ground  or  his  better 


14  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

judgment  was  overruled ;  for  Preston  offered  many 
advantages  as  a  defensive  position  which  were  alto- 
gether neglected.  In  front  of  the  town  was  a  bridge 
over  the  Ribble,  that  might  have  been  held  by  a  hand- 
ful of  men,  and  from  the  bridge  to  the  town,  for  a 
distance  of  a  mile,  the  road  ran  through  a  hollow 
between  steep  banks  for  a  mile.  But  river,  bridge,  and 
road  were  all  left  undefended.  When  Wills  rode  up 
to  the  bridge  and  saw  that  it  was  unprotected  he  could 
hardly  believe  his  eyes  ;  and  then  he  concluded  that 
the  insurgents  must  have  abandoned  Preston  and  begun 
their  retreat  into  Scotland,  so  that  there  would  be  no 
fighting  that  day. 

But  as  he  came  to  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  he  heard 
a  tumultuous  noise  within,  and  saw  the  barricades  that 
Forster  had  thrown  up,  and  was  saluted  by  a  shower 
of  bullets.  He  ordered  his  dragoons  to  dismount  and 
attack  two  of  the  barricades.  This  service  was  gallantly 
performed ;  but  the  regulars  were  sorely  galled  by  a  fire 
from  the  houses  as  well  as  from  the  barricades. 

As  night  was  falling  Wills  withdrew  his  men,  after 
they  had  suffered  considerable  loss.  Early  on  the 
following  morning  General  Carpenter  came  up  with  a 
part  of  his  cavalry ;  and  then  Forster,  who  had 
scarcely  lost  a  man,  and  whose  force  more  than  doubled 
that  of  the  regular  troops,  lost  heart  entirely,  and  with- 
out consulting  his  friends,  sent  Colonel  Oxburgh  to 
propose  a  capitulation. 

General  Wills,  irritated  at  the  loss  he  had  sustained 
on  the  preceding  evening,  seemed  at  first  disposed  to 
reject  the  proposition  altogether  ;  but  at  last  he  agreed 
"that,  if  the  rebels  would  lay  down  their  arms  and 
surrender  at  discretion,  he  would  protect  them  from 
being  cut  to  pieces  by  the  soldiers,  until  further  orders 
from  the  Government." 


SIR   CHARLES    WILLS,    K.B.  15 

When  Oxburgh's  mission  was  known  in  the  town, 
and  the  result  of  it,  the  more  warlike  portion  of  the 
insurgents  were  indignant  and  railed  against  the  coward 
Forster  ;  and  so  incensed  were  they  against  him  that, 
according  to  an  eye-witness,  if  he  had  ventured  into 
the  street,  he  would  infallibly  have  been  torn  to 
pieces. 

The  brave  Highlanders,  seeing  that  nothing  was  to 
be  expected  from  the  Lancastrian  boors  who  had  joined 
them,  proposed  rushing  with  sword  in  hand  and  cutting 
their  way  through  the  King's  troops.  But  their  leaders 
thought  this  too  hazardous  a  proceeding  and  counselled 
surrender.  They  gave  up  Lord  Derwentwater  and 
Colonel  Mackintosh  as  hostages,  and  induced  the  clans 
to  lay  down  their  arms  and  submit.  Including  English 
and  Scotch,  only  seventeen  men  had  been  killed  in  the 
defence  of  Preston. 

The  Lancastrian  peasants  got  away  out  of  the  town, 
but  fourteen  hundred  men  were  made  prisoners  by  a 
thousand,  or  at  the  outside  twelve  hundred  English 
horse.  Among  those  captured  were  Lords  Derwent- 
water, Widdrington,  Nithsdale,  Winton,  Carnwark, 
Kenmure,  Nairn,  and  Charles  Murray.  There  were 
others,  members  of  ancient  and  honourable  families  of 
the  north,  of  Scotland,  and  of  Lancashire. 

The  invasion  of  England  by  the  Jacobites  had  thus 
ended  ingloriously.  The  noblemen  and  gentlemen  of 
rank  and  influence  who  were  taken  were  sent  to  London 
in  charge  of  Brigadier  Panter  and  a  hundred  men  of 
Lumley's  Horse. 

On  January  5th,  1716,  Wills  was  appointed  to  the 
colonelcy  of  the  3rd  Regiment  of  the  line,  and  on  the 
death  of  Lord  Cadogan  was  transferred  in  August, 
1726,  to  that  of  the  ist  Regiment  of  Foot  Guards, 

It  was  customary  at  all  times  for  the   King's  com- 


i6  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

pany  of  the  ist  Guards  to  fly  the  Royal  Standard, 
which  was  carried  by  that  company  on  all  state  occa- 
sions. It  was  of  crimson  silk  throughout,  with  the 
King's  cypher  and  crown  in  the  middle  and  the  arms 
of  the  three  kingdoms  quartered  in  the  four  corners. 
The  staff  of  this  standard  was  also  more  ornamented 
than  that  of  the  other  twenty-seven  companies.  The 
lieutenant-colonel's  colours  were  also  of  crimson  silk 
throughout.  These  colours  were  renewed  every  seven 
years. 

In  1723  the  King  went  to  Hanover,  when  a  camp 
was  formed  in  Hyde  Park  under  the  command  of 
Lieut.-Colonel  Wills.  He  had  been  elected  M.P.  for 
Totnes  in  17 14,  and  he  represented  that  borough  till 
1741.  In  1725  he  was  made  Knight  of  the  Bath  and 
Privy  Councillor. 

In  1733,  in  consequence  of  the  increase  of  smuggling 
carried  on  even  in  London,  Strickland,  Secretary  for 
War,  addressed  a  letter  in  the  form  of  a  warrant  to  the 
Governor  of  the  Tower  and  to  the  officers  in  command 
of  the  Guards,  authorizing  them  to  furnish  detachments 
of  men  to  assist  in  securing  contraband  goods  ;  and 
in  consequence  of  the  increase  of  the  duties  to  be  per- 
formed by  the  men  of  the  Foot  Guards,  their  establish- 
ment was  raised  in  1739  by  ten  men  per  company. 

In  1740,  as  the  political  horizon  on  the  Continent 
was  threatening,  Walpole  had  to  choose  between  de- 
claring war  with  Spain  and  resigning.  He  disapproved 
of  war,  but  rather  than  resign  declared  it.  The  people 
of  London  were  delighted  and  rang  the  bells  in  the 
steeples.  ''Ah!"  said  Walpole;  "they  are  ringing 
the  bells  now  ;  they  soon  will  be  wringing  their  hands." 
Camps,  in  anticipation  of  hostilities,  were  ordered  to 
be  formed  in  various  parts  of  England.  In  March 
orders  were  conveyed  to  Sir  Charles  Wills  and  others 


SIR   CHARLES   WILLS,    K.B.  17 

to  direct  their  officers  to  provide  themselves  with  tents 
and  everything  needful  for  encamping,  and  those  troops 
under  Sir  Charles  were  to  occupy  Hounslow.  He 
superintended  the  formation  of  the  camp  where  the 
whole  of  the  Horse  and  Foot  Guards  were  to  assemble, 
and  previous  to  departing  they  paraded  in  Hyde  Park, 
on  June  15th,  under  Sir  Charles,  who  had  a  lieutenant- 
general  and  a  major-general  on  the  staff  with  him. 
Thence  he  proceeded  to  the  encampment  on  the  Heath 
marked  out  for  the  purpose. 

The  twenty-four  companies  of  the  ist  Guards  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Richard  Ingoldsby,  second 
major  of  the  regiment,  remained  encamped  on  Houns- 
low from  June  i6th  for  several  months — in  fact,  till  the 
middle  of  October. 

Sir  Charles  Wills  was  now  filling  the  post  of  General 
Commander  of  the  King's  forces,  but  had  been  failing 
in  health  and  strength,  and  soon  became  quite  unable 
to  take  any  active  work  ;  and  he  died  on  December  25th, 
Christmas  Day,  1741,  and  was  buried  in  Westminster 
Abbey. 

He  had  never  been  married.  He  had  purchased  land 
at  Claxton,  and  this  and  all  he  had  he  bequeathed  to 
Field-Marshal  Sir  Robert  Rich,  Bart.,  of  Roxhill,  in 
Suffolk,  Governor  of  Chelsea  Hospital. 


LIEUTENANT  GOLDSMITH  AND  THE 
LOGAN   ROCK 

IN  the  parish  of  S.  Levan  is  a  promontory  running 
out  into  the  sea,  once  cut  off  by  embankments 
on  the  land  side,  and  converted  into  a  cliff  castle, 
that  bears  the  name  of  Trereen-Dinas.  The 
headland  presents  a  succession  of  natural  piles  of 
granite  tors,  the  first  of  which,  rising  perpendicularly, 
is  crowned  by  the  far-famed  Logan  Rock,  a  mass  weigh- 
ing about  ninety  tons,  and  so  exactly  poised  upon  one 
point  that  any  one,  by  applying  his  shoulder  to  it, 
could  make  the  whole  mass  rock  sensibly.  Not  only 
so,  but  in  a  high  wind  it  could  be  seen  rolling  on  its 
pivot. 

Doctor  Borlase,  in  his  Antiquities  of  Corn-wall,  1754, 
says:  ''In  the  parish  of  S.  Levan,  Cornwall,  there  is 
a  promontory  called  Castle  Treryn.  This  cape  con- 
sists of  three  distinct  groupes  of  rocks.  On  the 
western  side  of  the  middle  groupe,  near  the  top,  lies 
a  very  large  stone,  so  evenly  poised,  that  any  hand  may 
move  it  to  and  fro  ;  but  the  extremities  of  its  base  are 
at  such  a  distance  from  each  other,  and  so  well  secured 
by  their  nearness  to  the  stone  which  it  stretches  itself 
upon,  that  it  is  morally  impossible  that  any  lever,  or 
indeed  force  (however  applied  in  a  mechanical  way), 
can  remove  it  from  its  present  situation." 

This  overbold  statement,  added  to  the  persistence  of 
the  people  of  the  neighbourhood,  that  no  man  could 

18 


R  "5^ 


GOLDSMITH  AND  THE  LOGAN  ROCK  19 

throw  the  Logan  Rock  from  its  balance,  stirred  up 
a  silly  young  lieutenant,  Hugh  Colvill  Goldsmith,  of 
H.M.S.  cutter  Nimhle^  on  the  preventive  service,  lying 
off  the  Land's  End  on  the  look-out  for  smugglers,  to 
attempt  to  do  what  the  popular  voice  declared  to  be 
impossible.  Lieut.  Goldsmith  was  a  nephew  of  the 
famous  Oliver  Goldsmith,  and  had  consequently  some 
flighty  Irish  blood  in  his  veins. 

**  On  April  8,  1824,"  says  the  Gentleman's  Magazine, 
''a  party  of  sailors  belonging  to  H.M.  cutter  Nimble, 
commanded  by  Lieut.  Goldsmith,  came  on  shore 
for  the  purpose  of  removing  from  its  situation  that 
great  curiosity  the  Logging  (rocking)  Stone ;  and 
which  object  they  were  unfortunately  enabled  to  accom- 
plish. This  mass  of  granite,  which  is  nearly  100 
tons  weight,  was  one  of  the  three  objects  that  excited 
the  curiosity  of  every  visitor  to  the  west  part  of  Corn- 
wall. It  stood  on  the  summit  of  a  mass  of  rocks  at  the 
Land's  End,  and  was  so  poised  on  a  natural  pivot,  that 
the  force  which  a  man  could  exert  was  sufficient  to 
cause  it  to  vibrate.  In  this  situation  it  remained  from 
a  period  anterior  to  our  authentic  records,  as  it  is 
noticed  by  our  earliest  writers,  until  the  barbarian 
above  mentioned,  in  sheer  wantonness,  removed  it 
from  its  place.  This  act  of  vandalism  has  excited  the 
greatest  indignation  at  Penzance,  as  it  will  in  every 
part  of  Cornwall,  and  throughout  the  kingdom.  It 
appears  that  Lieut.  Goldsmith  landed  at  the  head 
of  fourteen  of  his  men,  and  with  the  assistance  of  hand- 
spikes and  a  handscrew,  called  by  the  sailors  jack-in- 
the-box,  with  much  labour  and  perseverance  threw 
over  the  stone.  What  renders  the  act  most  atrocious 
is,  that  two  poor  families,  who  derived  a  subsistence 
from  attending  visitors  to  the  stone,  are  now  deprived 
of  the  means  of  support." 


20  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

It  was  found  that  the  handspikes  and  jack  were  of  no 
avail.  Accordingly  Goldsmith  made  his  fourteen  men 
put  their  shoulders  to  the  stone  and  bring  it  into  such 
violent  oscillation  that  at  last  it  toppled  over. 

The  Logan  Stone,  thus  displaced,  would  have  rolled 
down  from  the  tor  on  which  it  had  rested  and  have  shot 
into  the  sea,  had  it  not  happily  been  arrested  by  a  cleft 
in  the  rock. 

The  indignation  of  the  people  was  great,  so  that  the 
life  of  Lieut.  Goldsmith  was  threatened  by  the  sturdy 
fishermen,  should  he  land.  But  the  desire  to  land 
was  taken  from  him,  for  the  whole  county  was  roused, 
and  a  gathering  of  the  magistrates  was  summoned  to 
consider  what  could  be  done,  and  to  memorialize  the 
Admiralty  against  the  perpetrator  of  this  wanton  act 
of  mischief. 

Happily  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert  was  at  the  time  in 
London,  and  he  at  once  proceeded  to  the  Admiralty 
and  complained  of  the  vandalism  perpetrated,  and  re- 
quested that  the  lieutenant  should  be  ordered  to  re- 
place the  block  as  found,  and  that  the  proper  apparatus, 
capstan,  blocks,  chains,  etc.,  should  be  furnished  by 
the  dockyard  at  Devonport. 

This  was  undertaken,  and  orders  were  despatched  to 
Lieut.  Goldsmith  that  he  must  either  restore  the  Logan 
Rock  to  its  old  position,  at  his  own  cost,  or  forfeit  his 
commission.  As  the  expense  would  be  wholly  beyond 
his  means,  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert  very  liberally  subscribed 
;^i50  for  the  purpose. 

A  writer,  Lieut.  L.  Edye,  in  the  Weslern  Anti- 
quary {or  1887,  says:  *'In  his  trouble  he  appealed  to 
my  grandfather  (Mr.  William  Edye)  for  advice  and 
assistance,  stating  that  the  Admiralty  had  called  upon 
him  either  to  replace  the  stone  or  forfeit  his  commis- 
sion.     My  grandfather,   ever   ready  to  render  assist- 


GOLDSMITH  AND  THE  LOGAN  ROCK  21 

ance  to  any  one  in  trouble,  readily  assisted,  and  having 
travelled  into  Cornwall  (as  a  friend)  and  seen  the 
damage  done,  applied  to  the  Admiralty  for  the  loan 
of  plant  and  men.  Their  Lordships  complied  with  the 
request,  but  stipulated  that  the  cost  must  be  entirely 
defrayed  by  Lieut.  Goldsmith." 

We  will  now  see  what  Goldsmith  had  to  say  for 
himself.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter 
written  by  him  to  his  mother,  dated  April  24th, 
1824  : — 

"The  facts  in  question,  my  dear  mother,  are  these: 
On  the  8th  of  this  month  we  were  off  the  Land's  End, 
near  the  spot  where  the  Rock  stood.  Our  boats  were 
creeping  along  shore  beneath  it  for  some  goods  which, 
we  suspected,  might  be  sunk  in  the  sands  near  it.  I 
took  the  opportunity  of  landing  to  look  at  the  Logan 
Rock  with  my  mate  ;  and  hearing  that  it  was  not  in 
the  power  of  men  to  remove  it,  I  took  it  into  my  head 
to  try  my  skill,  and,  at  this  time  (half-past  four  o'clock 
p.m.),  the  boats  having  finished  what  they  had  to  do, 
and  it  blowing  too  fresh  for  them  to  creep  any  longer, 
I  took  them  and  their  crew  with  me,  and,  having  landed 
at  the  foot  of  the  rocks,  we  all  scrambled  up  the  preci- 
pice. We  had  with  us,  at  first,  three  handspikes,  with 
which  we  tried  to  move  the  Rock,  but  could  not  do  it." 
By  move  the  rock  he  really  means — displace  it.  A 
child  could  move  it  on  its  pivot.  "The  handspikes 
were  then  laid  aside,  and  the  nine  men  who  were  with 
me  took  hold  of  the  Rock  by  the  edge,  and  with  great 
difficulty  set  it  in  a  rocking  motion,  which  became  so 
great,  that  I  was  fearful  of  bidding  them  try  to  stop  it 
lest  it  should  fall  back  upon  us,  and  away  it  went  un- 
fortunately, clean  over  upon  its  side,  where  it  now 
rests.  There  was  not  an  instrument  of  any  kind  or 
description  near  the  Rock  when  thrown  over,  except 


22  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

one  handspike,  and  that  I  held  in  my  hand,  but  which 
was  of  no  use  in  upsetting  the  Rock  ;  and  this  is  the 
truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  as  I  hope  for  salva- 
tion. 

"  For  my  part,  I  had  no  intention,  or  the  most 
distant  thought,  of  doing  mischief,  even  had  I  thrown 
the  Rock  into  the  sea.  I  was  innocently,  as  my  God 
knows,  employed,  as  far  as  any  bad  design  about  me. 
I  knew  not  that  the  Rock  was  so  idolized  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood, and  you  may  imagine  my  astonishment 
when  I  found  all  Penzance  in  an  uproar.  I  was  to  be 
transported  at  least ;  the  newspapers  have  traduced  me, 
and  made  me  worse  than  a  murderer,  and  the  base 
falsehoods  in  them  are  more  than  wicked.  But  here  I 
am,  my  dear  mother,  still  holding  up  my  head,  boldly 
conscious  of  having  only  committed  an  act  of  inad- 
vertency. Be  not  uneasy — my  character  is  yet  safe  ; 
and  you  have  nothing  on  that  score  to  make  you 
uneasy.  I  have  many  friends  in  Penzance  :  among 
them  the  persons  most  interested  in  the  Rock,  and 
many  who  were  most  violent  now  see  the  thing  in  its 
true  light.  I  intend  putting  the  bauble  in  its  place 
again,  and  hope  to  get  as  much  credit  as  I  have  anger 
for  throwing  it  down."^ 

The  letter  is  disingenuous,  and  is  the  composition 
of  a  man  impudent  and  conceited.  He  knew  the 
estimation  in  which  the  Logan  Rock  was  held,  and  it 
was  because  Borlase  had  pronounced  it  impossible  of 
displacement  that  he  resolved  to  displace  it.  He  pre- 
tends that  he  tried  to  *'move"  it,  whereas  from  the 
context  it  is  clear  that  he  intended  to  throw  it  down, 
and  for  this  purpose  had  brought  the  handspikes.  He 
boasts  vaingloriously  of  his  intention  of  replacing  it 
and  gaining    glory  thereby,   and  never   says   a  word 

^  The  letter  is  given  in  Household  Words,  1852,  p.  234. 


■z  < 

is  'J 

Pi  - 

Bi  < 


GOLDSMITH  AND  THE  LOGAN  ROCK  23 

about  his  having  been  given  by  the  Admiralty  the 
alternative  of  doing  that  or  losing  his  commission. 
Nor  does  he  mention  the  generous  help  he  received  from 
Mr.  Gilbert  and  his  kinsman  Mr.  Edye. 

On  November  2nd,  in  the  presence  of  vast  crowds, 
ladies  waving  their  handkerchiefs,  and  men  firing  feitx 
de  joie,  the  block  was  raised,  Mr.  Goldsmith,  his 
natural  conceit  overcoming  his  sense  of  vexation, 
superintending  the  operation.  But,  although  replaced, 
it  was  no  longer  so  perfectly  balanced  as  before.  As 
one  wrote  who  was  present  at  the  time,  "it  rocked 
differently,  though  well  enough  to  satisfy  the  people." 

An  account  of  the  feat,  written  in  the  true  style  of 
the  penny-a-liner,  appeared  in  the  Royal  Cornwall 
Gazette  of  the  6th  November  : — 

''The  Logan  Rock  is  in  its  place,  and  logs  again. 
Lieut.  Goldsmith  has  nobly  repaired  the  error  of  a 
moment  by  a  long  trial  of  skill  and  energy  and 
courage.  I  say  courage,  for  it  was  a  work  of  great 
peril  ;  and  wherever  danger  was,  there  he  was  always 
foremost — under  the  weight  of  the  mass  of  machinery, 
and  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  ...  I  shall  content 
myself  with  barely  observing,  as  a  proof  of  the  skill 
of  applying  the  complicated  machinery  employed,  that 
many  engineers  had  their  doubts  whether  it  could  be  so 
applied,  and  even  when  erected,  they  doubted  whether 
it  would  be  efficient. 

''The  moment,  therefore  (on  Friday  last),  when  the 
men  took  their  stations  at  the  capstans  was  an  anxious 
one,  and  when,  after  twenty  minutes'  toil,  Lieut. 
Goldsmith  announced  from  the  stage,  '  It  moves,  thank 
God  ! '  a  shout  of  applause  burst  from  all  who  beheld 
it.  Endeavour  to  conceive  a  group  of  rocks  of  the 
most  grand  and  romantic  appearance,  forming  an 
amphitheatre,  with  multitudes  seated  on  the  irregular 


24  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

masses,  or  clinging  to  its  precipices  :  conceive  a  huge 
platform  carried  across  an  abyss  from  rock  to  rock,  and 
upon  it  three  capstans  manned  by  British  seamen. 
Imagine  the  lofty  masts  which  are  seen  rearing  their 
heads,  from  which  ropes  are  connected  with  chains  in 
many  a  fold  and  of  massive  strength.  A  flag  waves 
over  all  :  the  huge  stone  is  in  the  midst.  Every  eye 
is  directed  to  the  monstrous  bulk.  Will  it  break  its 
chains?  Will  it  fall  and  spread  ruin?  Or  will  it  defy 
the  power  that  attempts  to  stir  it?  Will  all  the  skill 
and  energy,  and  strength  and  hardihood,  have  been 
exerted  in  vain?  We  shall  soon  know:  expectation 
sits  breathless  ;  and  at  last  it  moves. 

"All's  well.  Such  was  the  first  half-hour.  In  two 
hours  it  was  suspended  in  the  air,  and  vibrated ; 
but  art  was  triumphant,  and  held  the  huge  leviathan 
fast. 

**  I  will  not  detail  the  labour  of  two  successive  days  ; 
but  come  to  the  last  moment.  At  twenty  minutes  past 
four  on  Tuesday  afternoon  a  signal  was  given  that  the 
rock  was  in  its  place  and  that  it  logged  again.  This 
was  announced  by  a  spectator.  But  where  was  Lieut. 
Goldsmith?  Why  does  not  he  announce  it?  He  has 
called  his  men  around  him  :  his  own  and  their  hats  are 
off:  he  is  addressing  them  first,  and  calling  upon  them 
to  return  thanks  to  God,  through  whose  aid  alone 
the  work  had  been  done — a  work  of  great  peril  and 
hazard — and  by  His  blessing  without  loss  of  life  or 
limb. 

'*  After  this  appropriate  and  solemn  act,  he  called 
upon  them  to  join  in  the  British  sailors'  testimony  of  joy, 
three  cheers  ;  and  then  turned  with  all  his  gallant  men 
to  receive  the  re-echoing  cheers  of  the  assembled  multi- 
tude. That  Lieut.  Goldsmith,  whose  character— like 
the   rock  — is   replaced    on   a  firm    basis,  may  have  an 


GOLDSMITH  AND  THE  LOGAN  ROCK  25 

opportunity  of  exerting  his  great  talents  and  brave 
spirit  in  the  service  of  his  profession,  is  the  sincere 
wish  of  all  this  neighbourhood." 

Lieut.  L.  Edye,  in  his  communication  to  the  Western 
Antiquary  above  quoted,  says:  "The  result  of  this 
foolhardy  act  was  that  Lieut.  Goldsmith  was  pecuniarily 
ruined,  whilst  the  natives  of  the  locality  reaped  a  rich 
harvest  by  pointing  out  the  fallen  stone  to  visitors." 

The  Cornish  are  a  forgiving  people,  and  it  was 
actually  proposed  after  the  re-erection  of  the  stone  to 
give  to  Lieut.  Goldsmith  a  dinner  and  a  silver  cup. 

Lieut.  Hugh  Colvill  Goldsmith  had  been  born  at 
St.  Andrew's,  New  Brunswick,  2nd  April,  1789,  so 
that  he  was  aged  thirty-five  when  he  performed  this 
prank.  He  died  at  sea  off  S.  Thomas,  in  the  West 
Indies,  8th  October,  1841,  without  having  obtained 
advancement. 


HUGH    PETERS,    THE    REGICIDE 

THE  life  and  character  of  this  man  present 
unusual  difficulties.  On  one  side  he  was 
unduly  lauded,  he  was  represented,  es- 
pecially by  himself,  as  a  paragon  of  all 
virtues  ;  on  the  other  he  was  decried  with  virulence, 
his  past  life  raked  over,  and  every  scandal  brought  to 
the  surface  and  exposed  to  public  view,  and  we  cannot 
be  at  all  sure  that  all  these  scandals  laid  to  his  charge 
were  true. 

We  do  not  know  much  about  his  origin,  and  why  he 
was  named  Peters  ;  he  was  the  son  of  a  Thomas  Dick- 
wood,  alias  Peters,  and  Martha,  daughter  of  John 
Treffry  of  Treffry.  This  Dickwood,  alias  Peters,  is 
said  to  have  been  a  merchant  of  Fowey,  descended 
from  Dutch  ancestors  who  had  escaped  from  Antwerp 
for  their  adherence  to  the  Reformed  religion ;  and 
Hugh  Peters  was  born  in  1599.  But  Dickwood  is 
not  a  Flemish  or  Dutch  name.  Henry  Peters,  M.P. 
for  Fowey,  who  died  in  1619,  married  Deborah, 
daughter  of  John  Treffry  of  Place,  in  1610,  and  had 
one  son,  Thomas,  who  was  thrown  into  prison  by 
Cromwell  for  his  loyalty  to  King  Charles.  Neither 
Hugh  Peters  nor  his  father  with  the  alias  appears 
in  the  well-authenticated  pedigree  of  the  family  of 
Peters  of  Harlyn.  It  may  be  suspected  that  the  father 
of  Hugh  Peters  was  a  bastard  of  one  of  the  Peters 
family. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  Hugh  Peters  was  sent  to  Trinity 

26 


men   I'irii'-.Rs 

J'lom  ail  ol.i  engyaz'iiii; 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE  27 

College,  Cambridge,  at  the  age  of  fourteen — his  elder 
brother  at  the  time  was  a  student  at  Oxford — and  he 
took  his  deoree  of  B.A.  in  1616.  For  a  time  he  led  a 
rather  wild  life  and  joined  a  party  of  comedians. 
Dr.  William  Yonge  says  that  "he  joined  a  common 
society  of  players  :  when,  after  venting  his  frothy  in- 
ventions, he  had  a  greater  call  to  a  higher  promotion, 
namely,  to  be  a  jester,  or  rather  a  fool,  in  Shakespeare's 
Company  of  Players."  Shakespeare  died  in  1616,  so 
this  must  have  been  his  company  continuing  to  bear 
his  name.  He,  however,  became  converted  by  a  ser- 
mon he  heard  at  S.  Faith's,  and  ''deserted  his  com- 
panions and  employments,  and  returning  to  his 
chamber  near  Fleet  Conduit,  continued  between  hope 
and  despair  a  year  or  more." 

He  was  ordained  deacon  23rd  December,  1621,  and 
priest  8th  June,  1623,  by  Mountain,  Bishop  of  London, 
and  took  his  M.A.  degree  in  1622.  He  was  licensed 
to  preach  at  S.  Sepulchre's.     He  says  of  himself: — 

"To  Sepulchre's  I  was  brought  by  a  very  strange 
providence  ;  for  preaching  before  at  another  place,  and 
a  young  man  receiving  some  good,  would  not  be  satis- 
fied, but  I  must  preach  at  Sepulchre's,  once  monthly, 
for  the  good  of  his  friends,  in  which  he  got  his  end 
(if  I  might  not  show  vanity),  and  he  allowed  thirty 
pounds  per  ami.  to  that  lecture,  but  his  person  un- 
known to  me.  He  was  a  chandler,  and  died  a  good 
man,  and  Member  of  Parliament.  At  this  lecture  the 
resort  grew  so  great,  that  it  contracted  envy  and  anger  ; 
though  I  believe  above  a  hundred  every  week  were 
persuaded  from  sin  to  Christ ;  there  were  six  or  seven 
thousand  hearers,  and  the  circumstances  fit  for  such 
good  work." 

How  six  or  seven  thousand  persons  could  be  got 
into  St.  Sepulchre's  Church  passes  one's  comprehen- 


28  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

sion.  According  to  his  own  account,  he  got  into 
trouble  through  Nonconformity.  Ludlow,  in  his 
Memoirs,  says  that  Peters  *'had  been  a  minister  in 
England  for  many  years,  till  he  was  forced  to  leave  his 
native  country  by  the  persecution  set  on  foot,  in  the 
time  of  Archbishop  Laud,  against  all  those  who  re- 
fused to  comply  with  the  innovations  and  super- 
stitions which  were  then  introduced  into  the  public 
worship." 

There  is,  however,  another  and  less  creditable 
explanation.  He  is  said  to  have  become  entangled  in 
an  intrigue  with  a  butcher's  wife.  But  how  far  this  is 
true,  and  whether  it  be  malicious  scandal,  we  have  no 
means  of  judging. 

He  had,  however,  married  the  widow  of  Edmund 
Read,  of  Wickford,  Essex,  and  mother  of  Colonel 
Thomas  Read,  afterwards  Governor  of  Stirling,  and  a 
■partisan  of  Monk  at  the  Restoration.  Mrs.  Edmund 
Read  also  had  a  daughter,  Elizabeth,  who  in  1635 
married  the  younger  Winthrop,  Governor  of  Connec- 
ticut. 

From  London  Peters  went  to  Rotterdam,  where,  if 
Yonge  may  be  trusted,  he  paid  such  court  to  and 
attempted  such  familiarities  with  a  Mrs.  Franklyn,  that 
she  complained  to  her  husband,  whereupon  Mr.  Frank- 
lyn "entertains  Peters  with  crab-tree  sauce." 

At  Rotterdam  he  became  preacher  in  the  English 
chapel.  What  had  become  of  his  wife,  whether  she 
remained  in  England  or  accompanied  him  to  Holland, 
we  are  not  informed. 

It  will  be  well  here  to  say  a  few  words  on  the  condi- 
tion of  religion  in  England  at  the  time. 

The  plan  of  Henry  VIII  had  been  to  make  the 
Church  of  England  independent  of  the  Pope,  but  to 
remain  Catholic.     At  his  death  the  Protector  and  the 


HUGH    PETERS,    THE    REGICIDE  29 

Duke  of  Northumberland,  after  the  fall  of  Somerset, 
had  encouraged  the  ultra-Protestants.  The  churches 
had  been  plundered,  chantries  and  colleges  robbed,  the 
Mass  interdicted,  and  the  wildest  fanaticism  encouraged. 
As  Froude  says:  ''Three-quarters  of  the  English 
people  were  Catholics  ;  that  is,  they  were  attached  to 
the  hereditary  and  traditionary  doctrines  of  the  Church. 
They  detested,  as  cordially  as  the  Protestants,  the 
interference  of  a  foreign  power,  whether  secular  or 
spiritual,  with  English  liberty." 

A  more  disgraceful  page  of  history  has  never  been 
written  than  that  regarding  the  two  protectorates  during 
the  minority  of  Edward  VI.  The  currency  was  de- 
based, peculation  was  rife.  "Amidst  the  wreck  of 
ancient  institutions,"  says  Froude,  "the  misery  of  the 
people,  and  the  moral  and  social  anarchy  by  which  the 
nation  was  disintegrated,  thoughtful  persons  in  England 
could  not  fail  to  be  asking  themselves  what  they  had 
gained  by  the  Reformation. 

"  The  movement  commenced  by  Henry  VIII,  judged 
by  its  present  results,  had  brought  the  country  at  last 
into  the  hands  of  mere  adventurers.  The  people  had 
exchanged  a  superstition  which,  in  its  grossest  abuses, 
prescribed  some  shadow  of  respect  for  obedience,  for 
a  superstition  which  merged  obedience  in  speculative 
belief;  and  under  that  baneful  influence,  not  only  the 
higher  virtues  of  self-sacrifice,  but  the  commonest 
duties  of  probity  and  morality,  were  disappearing. 
Private  life  was  infected  with  impurity  to  which  the 
licentiousness  of  the  Catholic  clergy  appeared  like 
innocence.  The  Government  was  corrupt,  the  courts  of 
law  were  venal.  The  trading  classes  cared  only  to 
grow  rich.  The  multitude  were  mutineers  from  oppres- 
sion. .  .  .  The  better  order  of  commonplace  men,  who 
had  a  conscience,    but    no  special  depth  of  insight — 


30  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

who  had  small  sense  of  spiritual  things,  but  a  strong 
perception  of  human  rascality — looked  on  in  a  stern  and 
growing  indignation,  and,  judging  the  tree  by  its  fruits, 
waited  their  opportunity  for  action." 

When  Mary  came  to  the  throne  there  was  an 
immense  outburst  of  enthusiasm,  the  time  of  the  Protes- 
tant protectorates  was  looked  back  on  as  a  bad  dream. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  that  England  was  under  an  interdict, 
the  Mass  was  restored,  and  no  rector  or  vicar  cared 
a  straw  for  the  Papal  bull,  nor  indeed  did  Mary,  who 
heard  Mass  in  the  chapel  of  the  Tower,  and  afterwards 
in  S.  Paul's. 

If  Mary  had  only  accepted  the  advice  tendered  to  her 
by  Charles  V,  she  would  have  reigned  as  a  popular 
monarch,  and  have  settled  the  condition  of  the  Church 
of  England  on  lines  that  commended  themselves  to 
nobles,  commons,  and  clergy  alike.  Catholic  but  not 
Papal.  But  she  had  looked  too  long  to  the  see  of  Peter 
as  her  support,  and  she  managed  completely  to  alienate 
the  affections  of  her  people.  The  fires  of  Smithfield 
brought  the  fanatics  who  had  been  discredited  in  the 
former  reign  into  favour  once  more  ;  and  when  Eliza- 
beth came  to  the  throne,  and  had  been  deposed  by  Pope 
Pius  V,  and  her  subjects  released  from  allegiance  to 
her,  and  plots  formed  for  her  assassination,  under  favour 
of  the  Pope,  the  religious  sentiment  in  England  was  cleft 
as  with  a  hatchet — some  who  loved  the  religion  of  their 
fathers  were  constrained  against  their  will  and  con- 
sciences to  become  Papists,  and  others  became  wild  and 
reckless  fanatics  in  a  Puritan  direction.  Between  these 
two  parties  sat  the  vast  bulk  of  the  English  people, 
looking  this  way,  that  way,  and  deeming  all  religion 
foolishness,  and  self-interest  the  only  thing  to  be  sought 
after.  All  the  foundations  of  the  religious  world  were 
out  of  course.     The  via  media  is  all  very  well  in  theory 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE  31 

and  when  well  trodden,  but  when  it  is  experimental, 
and  one  road  to  the  right  leads  to  Rome  and  that  to 
the  left  to  Geneva,  the  via  media  may  be  taken  to  lead 
nowhere,  and  those  who  tread  it  have  to  do  so  uncer- 
tainly. A  session  between  two  stools  is  precarious, 
and  the  Church  of  England  had  been  forced  by  the 
folly  of  Mary  to  adopt  this  position.  The  consequence 
was  that  in  the  reigns  of  Elizabeth  and  James  and 
Charles  I  there  was  no  enthusiasm  in  the  clergy  of  the 
Church.  The  bishops  were  grasping,  self-seeking 
worldlings.  Matthew  Parker,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, was  the  best  among  an  ignoble  crew.  When  he 
died,  says  Froude,  "he  left  behind  him  enormous 
wealth,  which  had  been  accumulated,  as  is  proved  from 
a  statement  in  the  handwriting  of  his  successor,  by  the 
same  unscrupulous  practices  which  had  brought  about 
the  first  revolt  against  the  Church.  No  Catholic 
prelate  in  the  old  easy  times  had  so  flagrantly  abused 
the  dispensation  system.  Every  year  he  made  profits 
by  admitting  children  to  the  cure  of  souls,  for  money. 
He  used  a  graduated  scale  in  which  the  price  for  induct- 
ing an  infant  into  a  benefice  varied  with  the  age,  children 
under  fourteen  not  being  inadmissible,  if  the  adequate 
fees  were  forthcoming."  ^ 

The  great  majority  of  the  nobility  and  gentry  of 
England  clung  to  the  doctrine  and  ceremonies  of  the 
ancient  Church,  and  yet  were  united  in  determination 
to  oppose  the  Papal  claims.  Benefices  in  their  presen- 
tation were  held  by  priests  who  said  the  Communion 
Service,  which  was  but  the  Mass  in  English,  with  the 
ancient  vestments  and  ritual  ;  and  others,  next  door, 
were  held  by  men  who  could  hardly  be  compelled  to 
wear  even  the  surplice,  and  who  celebrated  the  Eucha- 
rist but  once  in  the  year. 

'   Froude,  Hist,  of  England,  X,  p.  410. 


32  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

The  Church  was  a  hodgepodge  of  conflicting  doctrines 
and  ceremonial.     As  Froude  says  : — 

"So  long  as  a  single  turn  of  the  wheel,  a  violent 
revolution,  or  the  Queen's  death,  might  place  a  Catholic 
(Papist)  on  the  throne,  the  Established  Church  held  a 
merely  conditional  existence.  It  had  no  root  in  the 
nation,  for  every  earnest  man  who  was  not  a  Puritan 
was  a  Catholic  ;  and  its  officers,  for  the  most  part, 
regarded  their  tenures  as  an  opportunity  for  enriching 
themselves,  which  would  probably  be  short,  and  should 
in  prudence  be  made  use  of  while  it  remained.  Bene- 
fices were  appropriated  to  laymen,  sold,  or  accumulated 
upon  favourites.  Churches  in  many  places  were  left 
unserved,  and  cobblers  and  tailors  were  voted  by  the 
congregations  into  the  pulpits.  '  The  bishops,'  said 
Cecil,  '  had  no  credit  either  for  learning,  good  living, 
or  hospitality.'  The  Archbishop  of  York  had  scandal- 
ized his  province  by  being  found  in  bed  with  the  wife 
of  an  innkeeper  at  Doncaster.  Other  prelates  had 
bestowed  ordination  'on  men  of  lewd  life  and  corrupt 
behaviour.'  The  Bishop  of  Lichfield  had  made  seventy 
*  lewd  and  unlearned  ministers,  for  money,'  in  one 
day.^ 

Bishop  Barlow,  of  S.  David's,  had  torn  the  lead  roof 
off  his  palace  and  the  castle  at  Lawhadden  to  provide 
dowers  for  his  daughters,  and  would  have  unroofed  his 
cathedral  had  he  not  been  prevented  by  Elizabeth,  be- 
cause in  it  was  the  monument  of  Edmund,  Earl  of 
Richmond,  the  father  of  Henry  VII.  When  translated 
to  Bath  and  Wells  he  destroyed  the  lady  chapel,  the 
finest  Perpendicular  building  in  the  West  of  England, 
surpassing  even  Sherborne  and  Bath,  and  sold  it — lead, 
roof,  stones,  and  all.  Some  of  the  clergy  were  mere 
temporizers,   without  convictions,   taking  their  colour 

*  Ibid.,  XI,  471-2. 


HUGH    PETERS,    THE    REGICIDE         33 

from  their  patrons,  and  ready  to  believe  or  pretend  to 
believe  this  or  that,  as  suited  their  pockets.  The 
majority  were  indifferent — ignorant — not  knowing 
where  they  stood.  Many  had  thrust  their  way  into 
Holy  Orders  for  the  sake  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  that 
might  be  obtained  in  the  Established  Church,  with  no 
work  to  do,  without  education,  without  zeal,  without 
convictions,  and  consequently  totally  without  the  least 
enthusiasm,  without  any  fixed  principles. 

Laud  and  the  Star  Chamber  sought  to  produce  con- 
formity by  cutting  off  ears  and  slitting  noses.  But 
what  Laud  failed  to  see  was  that  the  only  men  in  reli- 
gious England  who  knew  their  minds,  who  had  any 
fixed  principles  in  religion,  were  the  Papists  and  the 
Puritans.  What  they  should  have  done,  but  what 
probably  they  could  not  do,  was  to  inspire  the  clergy  of 
the  Church  with  zeal  and  enthusiasm.  But  the  clergy 
could  not  catch  the  fire  from  off  the  altar  ;  they  had 
entered  Orders  for  the  sake  of  a  rectory,  a  glebe  and 
tithe,  and  cared  for  nothing  else.  If  one  half — nay, 
one  quarter — of  the  charges  brought  against  them  by 
the  Tryers  be  true,  they  were  a  most  unworthy  set.  In 
Elizabeth's  reign  there  had  been  a  difficulty  in  filling 
the  benefices,  and  any  Jack  and  Tom  who  could  gratify 
the  bishop  and  could  read  was  ordained  and  appointed 
to  a  benefice.  And  these  were  the  men  to  maintain  the 
doctrine  of  the  Universal  Church  and  Apostolic  tradi- 
tion against  fiery  enthusiasts  on  one  side  who  took 
their  own  reading  of  Scripture  for  divine  inspiration, 
and  on  the  other  against  the  Papists  who  set  their  back 
against  the  Rock  of  Peter. 

With  churches  picked  bare,  with  sermons  without  fire, 
services  performed  without  dignity,  often  with  inde- 
corum, without  religious  instruction  from  teachers  who 
did  not  know  what  to  teach,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
p 


34  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

people  turned  away  to  hot-gospellers  and  tub-thumpers 
who,  if  they  could  not  kindle  in  them  love  and  charity, 
could  set  them  on  fire  with  self-righteousness  and  reli- 
gious animosities. 

At  Rotterdam  Peters  threw  over  creed  and  liturgy 
of  the  Church  of  England,  and  leaving  the  English 
chapel,  became  co-pastor  with  Dr.  William  Ames  of  an 
Independent  meeting-house  at  Rotterdam,  and  Ames 
died  there  in  his  arms.  In  Holland  Peters  made  the 
acquaintance  of  John  Forbes,  Professor  of  Divinity  in 
the  University  of  Aberdeen,  a  great  Hebraist.  In 
a  pamphlet  published  by  Peters  in  1646  he  says  : 
**  I  lived  about  six  years  near  that  famous  Scotsman, 
Mr.  John  Forbes,  with  whom  I  travelled  into  Germany, 
and  enjoyed  his  society  in  much  love  and  sweetness 
constantly ;  from  whom  I  received  nothing  but  en- 
couragement, though  we  differed  in  the  way  of  our 
'churches.'  " 

After  Peters  had  spent  six  years  in  the  United  Pro- 
vinces, he  suddenly  threw  up  his  pastoral  charge  and 
departed  for  New  England,  with  five  hundred  pounds 
in  his  pocket,  which  his  friends  furnished,  and  a  young 
waiting-maid,  Mary  Morell,  whom  he  shortly  after 
married  to  one  Peter  Folger. 

*'  In  this  year  (1635),"  says  one  account,  ''came  over 
that  famous  servant  of  Christ,  Mr.  Hugh  Peters.  He 
was  called  to  office  by  the  Church  of  Christ  at  Salem, 
their  former  pastor,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Higginson,  having 
ended  his  labours  resting  in  the  Lord." 

Salem  had  been  planted  but  a  few  years  before,  the 
first  colonists  in  Massachusetts  having  settled  there  in 
1628.  Here  he  remained  for  over  seven  years,  com- 
bining his  duties  as  a  minister  of  religion  and  trading, 
so  that  he  was  spoken  of  as  "  the  father  of  our  com- 
merce and  the  founder  of  our  trade." 


HUGH    PETERS,    THE    REGICIDE  35 

He  was  also  a  militant  Christian,  and  was  present  in 
the  fighting  against  the  Pequot  Indians.  Concerning 
the  prisoners  taken,  Hugh  Peters  wrote  : — 

"  Sir, — Mr.  Endicott  and  myself  salute  you  in  the 
Lord  Jesus,  etc.  [st'c].  We  have  heard  of  a  division- 
ing  of  women  and  children  in  the  Bay,  and  would  be 
glad  of  a  share,  viz.  a  young  woman  or  girl,  and  a  boy 
if  you  think  good.     I  wrote  to  you  for  some  boys  to 

^'  Hugh  Peters." 

These  prisoners  were  used  as  slaves,  and  sold  just 
as  were  the  negroes  later.  Peters,  we  are  informed, 
was  not  friendly  to  the  notion  of  converting  the 
Indians  to  Christianity.  He  would  entertain  compunc- 
tion about  enslaving  them  should  they  embrace  the 
gospel.  However,  money  was  sent  over  from  England 
for  this  purpose,  and — at  the  suggestion  of  Peters. 
In  the  Colonial  State  Papers  (Saintsbury,  America  and 
West  Indies,  1661-8,  p.  86),  is  this  passage:  ''Through 
the  motion  of  Hugh  Peters,  England  contributed  nine 
hundred  pounds  per  annum  to  Christianize  the  Indians 
of  New  England  ;  which  money  found  its  way  into 
private  men's  purses,  and  was  a  cheat  of  Hugh 
Peters." 

In  New  England  Peters  married  a  second  wife, 
in  1639,  another  widow,  by  name  Deliverance  Shef- 
field. 

In  1641  he  left  for  England,  deputed  by  the  colony 
to  act  as  ambassador  at  the  Court  of  Charles  I,  to 
endeavour  to  procure  some  mitigation  of  the  excise 
and  customs  duties,  which  weighed  heavily  on  the 
colonists. 

But  on  reaching  England  he  found  that  the  Crown 
and  the  Parliament  were  at  variance,  and  he  did  not 
care  to  return  to  America  and  to  his  wife  whom  he  had 


36  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

left  there,  but  elected  to  be  the  stormy  petrel  of  the 
rebellion,  flying  over  the  land,  and,  as  Ludlow  says, 
advising  the  people  everywhere  to  take  arms  in  the 
cause  of  the  Parliament. 

He  was  appointed  chaplain  to  a  brigade  of  troops 
sent  into  Ireland  against  the  rebels,  and  he  had  no 
hesitation  in  wielding  the  sword  as  well  as  the  tongue, 
the  latter  to  animate  the  soldiers,  the  former  to  extir- 
pate the  Baal-worshippers. 

Then  he  hastened  to  Holland,  where  he  collected 
thirty  thousand  pounds  for  the  relief  of  the  Protestants 
of  Ireland,^  who  had  been  plundered  and  burnt  out  of 
their  homes  by  the  rebels. 

When  Peters  had  effected  his  various  purposes  in 
Ireland,  he  returned  to  England,  and  made  his  report 
of  the  condition  of  affairs  there  to  Sir  Thomas  Fairfax 
and  Cromwell. 

In  1643  he  was  appointed,  or  thrust  himself  forward, 
to  minister  to  Chaloner  on  the  scaffold,  as  that  man 
had  been  condemned  to  death  for  participation  in 
Waller's  plot.  So  again  in  1644  he  was  on  the  scaf- 
fold haranguing  and  praying  for  and  at  Sir  John 
Hotham,  who  probably  would  have  preferred  to  die  in 
quiet. 

Peters  was  now  engaged  as  chaplain  to  the  Parlia- 
mentary forces,  and  especially  as  a  conveyer  of 
despatches,  for  all  which  he  received  liberal  payment. 
He  was  with  the  Earl  of  Warwick  at  the  taking  of 
Lyme,  and  was  despatched  by  that  nobleman  to 
London  to  give  an  account  of  the  affair  in  Parlia- 
ment. On  another  occasion  he  was  entrusted  with 
letters  from  Sir  Thomas  Fairfax  relating  to  the  capture 
of     Bridgwater,    on    which    occasion    he    was    voted 

^  We  have  only  Peters'  own  word  for  this  sum.  It  was  probably  much 
less. 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE   REGICIDE  37 

a  sum  of  ;ifJ"ioo.  In  the  same  year,  1645,  he  was 
commissioned  by  Sir  Thomas  to  report  the  taking 
of  Bristol.  In  March  of  that  year  Hugh  Peters  was 
with  the  army  in  Cornwall,  and  harangued  at  Bodmin 
against  the  Crown  and  the  Church,  and  exhorted  all 
good  men  and  true  to  adhere  to  the  cause  of  the  Parlia- 
ment. 

Peters  had  uniformly,  since  he  had  been  in  the 
Low  Countries,  postured  as  an  Independent  hot  and 
strong.  Hitherto  the  Presbyterians  had  the  prevailing 
party  in  Parliament,  and  among  the  discontents  in  the 
country,  but  now  the  Independents  began  to  assert 
themselves  and  assume  predominance.  Their  numbers 
were  greatly  increased  by  the  return  of  the  more  fiery 
spirits  who  had,  like  Peters,  abandoned  England 
during  the  supremacy  of  Laud.  Many  of  these,  coming 
back  from  New  England,  had  carried  the  doctrines  of 
Puritanism  to  the  very  verge  of  extravagance,  and  not 
the  least  fiery  and  extravagant  of  these  was  Hugh 
Peters.  These  men  rejected  all  ecclesiastical  establish- 
ments, would  admit  of  no  spiritual  authority  in  one 
man  above  another,  and  allowed  of  no  interposition  of 
the  magistrate  in  religious  matters.  Each  congrega- 
tion, voluntarily  united,  was  an  integral  and  indepen- 
dent church,  to  exercise  its  own  jurisdiction.  The 
political  system  of  the  Independents  was  one  of  pure 
republicanism.  They  aspired  to  a  total  abolition  of 
monarchy,  even  of  the  aristocracy,  and  projected  a 
commonwealth  in  which  all  men  should  be  equal. 
Sir  Harry  Vane,  Oliver  Cromwell,  Nathaniel  Fiennes, 
and  Oliver  St.  John,  the  Solicitor-General,  were  re- 
garded as  their  leaders,  and  Hugh  Peters  as  their 
prophet. 

Peters  brought  the  news  to  Parliament  of  the  capture 
of  Winchester  Castle,   for  which  service  he  was  paid 


38  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

;^5o.  When  Dartmouth  was  taken,  he  hastened  thence 
to  London,  laden  with  crucifixes,  vestments,  papers,  and 
sundry  church  ornaments,  of  which  he  had  despoiled 
the  beautiful  church  of  S.  Saviour's ;  and  received 
in  recompense  from  the  Parliament  an  estate  of  which 
the  House  had  deprived  Lord  Craven. 

When  the  city  of  Worcester  was  besieged  in  the 
year  1646  by  the  Parliamentary  forces,  the  governor 
consented  to  surrender  on  condition  that  passes  were 
given  to  the  soldiers  and  to  the  principal  inhabitants. 
Peters  negotiated  the  surrender. 

A  Mr.  Habingdon,  who  wrote  an  account  of  the  siege 
at  the  time,  and  who  died  in  the  ensuing  year,  relates 
that  on  the  23rd  July,  1646,  many  gentlemen  went  to 
six  o'clock  prayers  at  the  cathedral  to  take  the  last  sad 
farewell  of  the  church  services,  the  organs  having 
been  removed  three  days  before,  and  that  at  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning  the  several  regiments  marched  forth, 
and  all  the  gentlemen  with  the  baggage  ;  and  that  at 
one  o'clock  Peters  brought  them  their  passes,  and  im- 
portuned every  one  individually  to  pass  his  word  not 
again  to  bear  arms  against  the  Parliament. 

Hugh  Peters  was  now  such  a  favourite  with  the 
Parliament  that  they  made  an  order  for  ;^ioo  a  year  to 
himself  and  his  heirs  for  ever ;  later  an  additional 
;^200  per  annum  was  voted  to  him,  and  all  this  in  addi- 
tion to  his  pay  as  preacher,  and  to  sundry  grants  as 
bearer  of  news  from  the  army.  He  was  also  ac- 
corded Archbishop  Laud's  library.  Nevertheless,  as 
he  lamented  in  his  Legacy  of  a  Dying  Father ^  he  found 
it  impossible  to  keep  out  of  debt. 

There  is  this  in  Peters'  favour  to  be  urged,  that  he 
opposed  the  execution  of  Archbishop  Laud,  and  urged 
that  instead  he  should  be  sent  to  New  England.  So 
he  begged  the  life  of  Lord  George  Goring,    Earl   of 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE         39 

Norwich,  and  of  the  Marquis  of  Hamilton,  and  again 
of  the  Marquis  of  Worcester. 

The  Presbyterians  were  in  force  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  but  the  army  was  composed  mainly  of  In- 
dependents, worked  up  to  enthusiasm  by  their  preachers. 
It  had  been  six  months  in  the  field  in  the  summer  of 
1648,  engaged  against  the  Cavaliers  and  Scots.  The 
soldiers  were  thoroughly  incensed  against  the  King, 
and  they  had  no  respect  for  the  Presbyterians.  Their 
officers  resolved  on  assuming  the  sovereign  power  in 
their  own  hands,  and  bringing  the  King  to  justice,  and 
converting  the  Government  into  a  commonwealth. 

To  accomplish  this  they  presented  a  remonstrance  to 
the  Parliament  by  six  of  their  council  on  November 
20th,  demanding:  (i)  that  the  King  be  brought  to  trial 
for  high  treason  ;  (2)  that  a  day  be  set  for  the  Prince 
of  Wales  and  the  Duke  of  York  to  surrender  them- 
selves, or  to  be  declared  incapable  of  government,  and 
that  in  future  no  king  should  be  admitted  but  by  the 
free  election  of  the  people. 

The  Commons  were  struck  with  dismay,  and  deferred 
debate  on  the  remonstrance  for  ten  days.  But  the 
officers  despatched  Colonel  Ewes  to  the  Isle  of  Wight 
with  a  party  of  horse  to  secure  the  King's  person,  and 
to  bring  him  to  Windsor,  in  order  to  his  trial.  The 
officers  then,  on  November  30th,  sent  a  declaration  to 
the  House  to  enforce  their  late  remonstrance,  and  re- 
quiring the  majority  in  the  House  to  exclude  from 
their  councils  such  as  would  obstruct  the  King's  trial. 

On  December  2nd  Fairfax  arrived  in  London  at  the 
head  of  the  army,  and  the  House  of  Commons  found 
itself  cornered  by  the  armed  force.  Nevertheless,  they 
had  the  courage  to  vote  that  the  seizure  of  the  King, 
and  the  conveying  him  a  prisoner  to  Hurst  Castle,  had 
been  done  without  their  advice  and  consent. 


40  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

The  officers  were  resolved  to  carry  their  point.  A 
regiment  of  horse  and  another  of  foot  were  placed  at 
the  door  of  the  Parliament  House,  and  Colonel  Pride 
entered  and  took  into  custody  about  forty  of  the  mem- 
bers who  were  disposed  to  obstruct  the  cause  the  army 
sought  to  pursue,  and  denied  entrance  to  about  a  hun- 
dred more  ;  others  were  ordered  to  leave  ;  and  the  num- 
ber of  those  present  was  thus  thinned  down  to  a 
hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred,  most  of  them  officers 
of  the  army. 

The  secluded  members  published  a  protestation 
against  all  these  proceedings  as  null  and  void  till  they 
were  restored  to  their  places;  but  the  Lords  and 
Commons  who  remained  in  the  House  voted  their 
protestation  false,  scandalous,  and  seditious. 

The  army,  having  vanquished  all  opposition,  went 
on  to  change  the  whole  form  of  government ;  and  to 
make  way  for  it  determined  to  impeach  the  King  of 
high  treason,  as  having  been  the  cause  of  all  the  blood 
that  had  been  spilt  in  the  late  war. 

There  was  commotion  in  the  House  and  in  town  and 
the  country.  In  the  House  some  declared  that  there 
was  no  need  to  bring  the  King  to  trial  ;  others  said 
that  there  existed  no  law  by  which  he  could  be  tried  ; 
but  all  this  was  overruled. 

Meanwhile  Hugh  Peters  was  not  idle.  In  a  sermon 
addressed  to  the  members  of  the  two  Houses  a  few 
days  before  the  King's  trial  he  said  :  "  My  Lords,  and 
you  noble  Gentlemen, — It  is  you  we  chiefly  look 
for  justice  from.  Do  you  prefer  the  great  Barabbas, 
Murderer,  Tyrant,  and  Traitor,  before  these  poor  hearts 
(pointing  to  the  red  coats)  and  the  army  who  are  our 
saviour?" 

In  another  sermon  before  Cromwell  and  Bradshaw 
he  said:   "There  is  a  great  discourse  and  talk  in  the 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE         41 

world,  What,  will  ye  cut  off  the  head  of  a  Protestant 
Prince?  Turn  to  your  Bibles,  and  ye  shall  find  it 
there.  Whosoever  sheds  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his 
blood  be  shed.  I  see  neither  King  Charles,  Prince 
Charles,  Prince  Rupert,  nor  Prince  Maurice,  nor  any 
of  that  rabble  excepted  out  of  it." 

Evelyn  in  his  Diary ^  under  date  17th  January, 
1648-9,  says:  ''I  heard  the  rebel  Peters  invite  the 
rebel  powers  met  in  the  Painted  Chamber  to  destroy 
his  Majesty."  Bishop  Burnet  says  :  '*  That  he  (Peters) 
had  been  outrageous  in  pressing  the  King's  death  with 
the  cruelty  and  rudeness  of  an  inquisitor." 

Prynne,  one  of  the  secluded  members,  published 
"A  brief  memento  to  the  present  unparliamentary 
junto,  touching  their  present  intentions  and  proceedings 
to  depose  and  execute  Charles  Stuart,  their  lawful  King 
of  England." 

The  officers  now  decided  to  gain  the  approval  of  the 
ministers — Presbyterian — in  London,  or  at  least  per- 
suade them  to  remain  neutral. 

Hugh  Peters  was  selected  for  the  purpose,  and  he 
went  among  them,  but  all  his  efforts  were  fruitless. 
They  declared  unanimously  for  the  release  of  the  King. 
He  then  invited  several  of  them,  Calamy,  Whitaker, 
Sedgwick,  etc.,  to  a  conference  with  some  of  the 
officers ;  but  instead  of  attending,  the  ministers  as- 
sembled in  Sion  College  and  drew  up  "  A  serious  and 
faithful  representation  of  the  judgment  of  the  ministers 
of  the  Gospel  within  the  province  of  London,"  dated 
i8th  January,  1648-9.  In  this  they  protested  against 
the  coercive  measures  adopted  toward  the  Parliament, 
and  bade  them  beware  of  proceeding  to  extremities. 
'*  Examine  your  consciences,  if  any  number  of  persons 
of  different  principles  from  yourselves  had  invaded  the 
rights  of  Parliament,  imprisoned  the  King,  and  carried 


42  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

him  about  from  place  to  place,  and  attempted  the  dis- 
solution of  the  whole  government,  whether  you  would 
not  have  charged  them  with  the  highest  crimes." 

This  was  subscribed  by  forty-seven  ministers. 

A  second  paper,  "A  vindication  of  the  London 
ministers  from  the  unjust  aspersions  ...  as  if  they 
had  promoted  the  bringing  of  the  King  to  capital 
punishment,"  appeared  shortly  after,  signed  by  fifty- 
seven  ministers. 

Even  the  Independent  preachers  shrank  from  ap- 
proving the  proceedings  of  the  council  of  officers  in 
the  trial  of  the  King,  with  the  exception  of  Hugh 
Peters  and  John  Goodwin.  Some  of  the  Independent 
ministers  in  the  country  joined  the  Presbyterians  in 
protesting  against  them. 

But  it  was  all  in  vain.  The  King  was  tried  and 
sentenced  to  death,  and  executed  on  30th  January,  1649. 
Rumour  had  it  that  the  masked  executioner  was  none 
other  than  Peters  himself.  This  he  denied,  asserting 
that  on  the  day  of  the  King's  death  he  was  ill  in  bed. 
He  had  certainly  been  about  and  preaching  not  many 
days  before. 

Who  the  executioner  was,  was  never  discovered,  and 
Peters  was  not  charged  as  such  when  tried  for  his  life 
in  1660. 

In  EpulcE  Thyestce,  printed  in  1649,  Peters  is  accused 
of  having  been  the  executioner  of  King  Charles  : — 

There's  Peters,  the  Denyer,  (nay  'tis  sad) 
He  that,  disguised,  cut  off  his  Master's  head  ; 
That  godly  pigeon  of  Apostacy 
Does  buz  about  his  Ante-Monarchy, 
His  scaffold  Doctrines. 

But  there  was  an  element  of  kindness  in  Hugh  Peters 
that  induced  him  to  do  gracious  acts  even  to  those 
whom  he  hated.     Whitelocke  assures  us  that  ''  at  a  con- 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE         43 

ference  between  him  (Peters)  and  the  King,  the  King 
desired  one  of  his  own  chaplains  might  be  permitted  to 
come  to  him  "  on  the  occasion  of  his  execution  ;  he 
had  refused  the  ministrations  of  the  Presbyterian 
divines,  **and  thereupon  the  Bishop  of  London  was 
ordered  to  go  to  his  Majesty." 

On  a  former  occasion  a  message  from  the  Queen  was 
allowed  to  be  transmitted  to  the  King  through  the 
instrumentality  of  Peters. 

In  his  letter  to  his  daughter  Peters  says:  "I  had 
access  to  the  King — he  used  me  civilly,  I,  in  requital, 
offered  my  poor  thoughts  three  times  for  his  safety." 
It  was  an  impertinence  in  the  man  to  approach  the 
King,  when  he  had  stirred  up  the  army  to  demand  his 
death,  and  had  raced  about  London  endeavouring  to 
get  the  approval  of  the  sentence  from  the  ministers. 
Although  we  cannot  believe  that  Hugh  Peters  was  the 
executioner  of  Charles,  yet  he  cannot  be  acquitted  of 
being  a  regicide,  on  the  same  principle  as  the  trumpeter 
in  the  fable  was  condemned  to  be  hanged.  His  plea 
that  he  had  not  drawn  a  sword  in  the  battle  was  not 
held  to  justify  him — he  had  sounded  the  charge  and 
summoned  to  the  battle. 

Peters  was  one  of  the  Triers  appointed  by  Cromwell 
to  test  the  parochial  clergy,  and  to  eject  from  their 
livings  such  as  did  not  approve  themselves  to  their 
judgment  as  fitting  pastors  to  the  flock  either  by  their 
morals  or  theological  opinions. 

Every  parishioner  who  bore  a  grudge  against  his 
pastor  was  invited  to  lay  his  grievances  before  the 
Grand  Committee.  Lord  Clarendon  says  :  "Petitions 
presented  by  many  parishioners  against  their  pastors, 
with  articles  of  their  misdemeanours  and  behaviours 
.  .  .  were  read  with  great  delight  and  promptly  re- 
ferred to  the  Committee  about  Religion."     The  matter 


44  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

of  these  accusations  was  for  the  most  part,  as  Clarendon 
informs  us,  "  bowing  at  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  oblig- 
ing the  communicants  to  the  altar,  i.e.  to  the  rails 
which  enclosed  the  Communion  table,  to  receive  the 
sacrament."  What  the  Puritans  desired  was  that 
the  minister  should  walk  about  the  church  distributing 
to  the  people  in  the  pews.  The  observance  of  all  holy 
days  except  Sundays  had  already  been  forbidden.  A 
priest  who  said  service  on  Christmas  Day  or  Good 
Friday  was  certain  of  deprivation.  But  the  great 
question  put  to  each  rector  or  vicar  was,  *' whether  he 
had  any  experience  of  a  work  of  grace"  in  his  heart, 
and  the  answer  to  this  determined  whether  he  should 
be  allowed  to  hold  his  cure  or  be  thrust  out,  apart  from 
all  question  of  moral  fitness.  That  there  were  a  host 
of  lukewarm,  indifferent  men  in  the  ministry,  caring 
little  for  religion  and  knowing  little,  without  fixed  con- 
victions, cannot  be  wondered  at,  after  the  swaying  of 
the  pendulum  of  belief  during  the  last  reigns,  and 
these  would  be  precisely  the  men  who  would  be  able 
volubly  to  assert  their  experience  of  divine  grace,  and 
abandon  doctrines  they  never  sincerely  held  and  cere- 
monies about  which  they  cared  nothing.  There  were 
vicars  of  Bray  everywhere. 

Butler  hits  off  the  work  of  the  Triers  in  Hudibras  : — 

Whose  business  is,  by  cunning-  sight, 
To  cast  a  figure  for  men's  Hght  ; 
To  find  in  lines  of  Beard  and  Face 
The  Physiognomy  of  Grace  ; 
And  by  the  Sound  and  Twang  of  Nose, 
If  all  the  sound  within  disclose  ; 
Free  from  a  crack  or  flaw  of  sinning-, 
As  men  try  pipkins  by  the  ring-ing-. 

Peters  was  next  appointed  a  commissioner  for  the 
amending  of  the  laws,  though  he  had  no  knowledge  of 
law.       He  said  himself,  in  \\\s  Legacy  :  *'When  I  was  a 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE  45 

trier  of  others,  I  went  to  hear  and  gain  experience, 
rather  than  to  judge  ;  when  I  was  called  to  mend  laws, 
I  rather  was  there  to  pray  than  to  mend  laws."  White- 
locke  says  :  *'  I  was  often  advised  with  by  some  of  this 
committee,  and  none  of  them  was  more  active  in  this 
business  than  Mr.  Hugh  Peters,  the  minister,  who  un- 
derstood little  of  the  law,  but  was  very  opinionative, 
and  would  frequently  mention  some  proceedings  of  law 
in  Holland,  wherein  he  was  altogether  mistaken." 

Peters  was  chaplain  to  the  Protector,  and  certainly  in 
one  way  or  another  made  a  good  deal  of  money.  Dr. 
Barwick  in  his  Life  says :  ^  "The  wild  prophecies 
uttered  by  his  (Hugh  Peters')  impure  mouth  were  still 
received  by  the  people  with  the  same  veneration  as  if 
they  had  been  oracles  ;  though  he  was  known  to  be 
infamous  for  more  than  one  kind  of  wickedness.  A 
fact  which  Milton  himself  did  not  dare  to  deny  when 
he  purposely  wrote  his  Apology,  for  this  very  end,  to 
defend  even  by  name,  as  far  as  possible,  the  very 
blackest  of  the  conspirators,  and  Hugh  Peters  among 
the  chief  of  them,  who  were  by  name  accused  of  mani- 
fest impieties  by  their  adversaries. "  Bishop  Burnet  says 
as  well :   "  He  was  a  very  vicious  man." 

Peters  by  his  wife — his  second  wife.  Deliverance,  the 
widow  of  a  Mr.  Sheffield — became  the  father  of  the 
Elizabeth  Peters  to  whom  he  addressed  his  Dying 
Father's  Last  Legacy. 

The  Dutch  having  been  disconcerted  by  the  defeats 
of  their  fleets  by  Admiral  Blake,  and  the  messengers 
they  had  sent  to  England  having  failed  to  satisfy  Crom- 
well, in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1653  they  commis- 
sioned Colonel  Doleman  and  others  to  learn  the  senti- 
ments of  the  leading  men  in  Parliament,  and  to  gain 
over  to  the  cause  of  peace  Hugh  Peters,  as  Cromwell's 

^    Vita,  J.   Barwick,  London,  1721. 


46  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

influential  chaplain.  Peters  had  always  entertained  a 
tenderness  for  the  Dutch,  and  he  interceded  on  their 
behalf,  and  the  Dutch  gave  him  ^300,000  wherewith  to 
bribe  and  purchase  the  amity  of  Parliament  and  the 
Protector.  That  a  good  share  of  this  gold  adhered  to 
Peters'  fingers  we  may  be  pretty  confident  ;  and 
indeed  it  was  intended  that  it  should  do  so.  The 
attempt,  however,  did  not  succeed,  and  when  the  nego- 
tiations were  broken  off,  the  Dutch  fitted  out  another 
fleet  under  Van  Tromp,  De  Witt,  and  De  Ruyter,  and 
appointed  four  other  deputies  to  go  upon  another 
embassy  to  England.  These  men  arrived  on  July  2nd, 
1658,  and  ''all  joined  in  one  petition  for  a  common 
audience,  praying  thrice  humbly  that  they  should  have 
a  favourable  answer,  and  beseeching  the  God  of  Peace 
to  co-operate."^ 

These  ambassadors,  like  the  foregoing,  sought  out 
Peters  and  engaged  his  services.  After  several  inter- 
views, peace  was  at  last  concluded  2nd  May,  1654.  In 
XhQ  Justification  of  the  War,  by  Stubbe,  is  an  engraving 
that  represents  the  four  deputies  presenting  their  humble 
petition  to  Peters. 

In  1655  feeling  in  England  was  greatly  stirred  by  the 
account  that  reached  the  country  of  the  persecution  of 
the  Waldenses  in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont.  Cromwell 
at  once  ordered  a  collection  for  the  sufferers  to  be  made 
throughout  the  kingdom,  and  it  amounted  to  upwards 
of  ^{^38,000.  In  this  Peters  took  an  active  part.  Ludlow 
says  :  "  He  was  a  diligent  and  earnest  solicitor  for  the 
distressed  Protestants  of  the  valleys  of  Piedmont." 

Soon  after  the  affair  of  the  persecuted  Waldenses 
was  concluded  the  Protector  formed  an  alliance, 
offensive  and  defensive,  with  the  French,  in  which  it 
was  agreed  that   Dunkirk  should   be  delivered  up  to 

^  Siviiihc,  Justification  of  the    War,  1673,  pt.  ii.  p.  83. 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE  47 

him.  In  consequence  of  this  agreement  six  thousand 
men  were  sent  over  to  join  the  French  army,  and 
Peters  received  a  commission  to  attend  them  thither. 
The  town  of  Dunkirk,  in  consequence  of  this  league, 
was  taken  from  the  Spaniards,  and  on  the  26th  of  June, 
1658,  was  delivered  to  Colonel  Lockart,  Cromwell's 
ambassador  at  the  French  Court. 

Lockart    wrote    the    following    letter    to    Secretary 
Thurloe  : — 

**  Dunkirk,  Jxily  8-i8//z,   1658. 

"May  it  please  your  Lordship, 

"  I  could  not  suffer  my  worthy  friend,  Mr.  Peters, 
to  come  away  from  Dunkirk  without  a  testimony  of  the 
great  benefits  we  have  all  received  from  him  in  this 
place,  where  he  hath  laid  himself  forth  in  great  charity 
and  goodness  in  sermons,  prayers,  and  exhortations, 
in  visiting  and  relieving  the  sick  and  wounded  ;  and, 
in  all  these,  profitably  applying  the  singular  talent  God 
hath  bestowed  upon  him  to  the  chief  ends,  proper  for 
an  auditory.  For  he  hath  not  only  showed  the  soldiers 
their  duty  to  God,  and  pressed  it  home  upon  them,  I 
hope  with  good  advantage,  but  hath  likewise  acquainted 
them  with  their  obligations  of  obedience  to  his  High- 
ness's  government  and  affection  to  his  person.  He 
hath  laboured  amongst  us  here  with  such  goodwill, 
and  seems  to  enlarge  his  heart  towards  us,  and  care  of 
us  for  many  other  things,  the  effects  whereof  I  design 
to  leave  upon  that  Providence  which  has  brought  us 
hither.  .  .  .  Mr.  Peters  hath  taken  leave  at  least  three  or 
four  times,  but  still  something  falls  out  which  hinders 
his  return  to  England.  He  hath  been  twice  at  Bergh, 
and  hath  spoke  with  the  Cardinal  (Mazarin)  three  or 
four  times  ;  I  kept  myself  by,  and  had  a  care  that  he  did 
not  importune  him  with  too  long  speeches.     He  re- 


48  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

turns,  loaden  with  an  account  of  all  things  here,  and 
hath  undertaken  every  man's  business.  I  must  give 
him  that  testimony,  that  he  gave  us  three  or  four  very 
honest  sermons  ;  and  if  it  were  possible  to  get  him  to 
mind  preaching,  and  to  forbear  the  troubling  himself 
with  other  things,  he  would  certainly  prove  a  very  fit 
minister  for  soldiers.  I  hope  he  cometh  well  satisfied 
from  this  place.  He  hath  often  insinuated  to  me  his 
desire  to  stay  here,  if  he  had  a  call.  Some  of  the 
officers  also  have  been  with  me  to  that  purpose  ;  but  I 
have  shifted  him  so  handsomely  as,  I  hope,  he  will  not 
be  displeased.  For  I  have  told  him  that  the  greatest 
service  he  can  do  us  is  to  go  to  England  and  carry  on 
his  propositions,  and  to  own  us  in  all  other  interests, 
which  he  hath  undertaken  with  much  zeal." 

This  letter  lets  us  see  what  were  some  of  Peters' 
weaknesses.  He  was  vastly  loquacious,  so  that  Colonel 
Lockart  had  to  see  to  it  that  he  did  not  "importune 
the  Cardinal  with  too  long  speeches,"  and  he  was  con- 
ceited, self-opinionated,  and  meddlesome,  interfering 
in  matters  beyond  his  province,  so  that  the  Colonel  was 
heartily  glad  to  be  rid  of  him  from  Dunkirk. 

That  there  was  humour  in  Hugh  Peters,  not  unfre- 
quently  running  into  profanity,  would  appear  from  a 
work,  "The  Tales  and  Jests  of  Mr.  Hugh  Peters,  col- 
lected into  one  volume  ;  published  by  one  that  hath  for- 
merly been  conversant  with  the  Author  in  his  lifetime  ; 
dedicated  to  Mr.  John  Goodwin  and  Mr.  Philip  Nye." 
London,  1660. 

These  appeared  in  the  same  year  under  a  different 
title — "Hugh  Peters,  his  figaries,  or  his  merry  tales 
and  witty  jests  both  in  city,  town,  and  country."  It 
was  reprinted  by  James  Caulfield  in  1807. 

A  few  of  these  will  suffice. 

Peters  had  preached  for  two  hours  ;  the  sands  in  the 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE         49 

hour-glass  had  run  out.  He  observed  it,  and  turning 
it  over,  said  to  his  hearers  :  "  Come,  let  us  have  another 
glass  ! " 

Once  he  preached:  "Beware,  young  men,  of  the 
three  W's — Wine,  Women,  and  Tobacco.  Now  To- 
bacco, you  will  say,  does  not  begin  with  a  W.  But 
what  is  Tobacco  but  a  weed?" 

Another  of  his  jests  in  the  pulpit  was,  "  England  will 
never  prosper  till  one  hundred  and  fifty  are  taken 
away."  The  explanation  is  L  L  L — Lords,  Lawyers, 
and  Levites. 

Preaching  on  the  devils  entering  into  the  swine 
(S.  Mark  v.  23),  he  said  that  the  miracle  illustrated 
three  English  proverbs  : — 

1.  That  the  devil  will  rather  play  at  small  game  than 
sit  out. 

2.  That  those  must  needs  go  forward  whom  the  devil 
drives. 

3.  That  at  last  he  brought  his  hogs  to  a  fair  market. 

It  was  a  favourite  saying  of  Peters  that  in  Christen- 
dom there  were  neither  scholars  enough,  gentlemen 
enough,  nor  Jews  enough  ;  for,  said  he,  if  there  were 
more  scholars  there  would  not  be  so  many  pluralists  in 
the  Church  ;  if  there  were  more  gentry,  so  many  born 
would  not  be  reckoned  among  them  ;  if  there  were 
more  Jews,  so  many  Christians  would  not  practise 
usury. 

One  rainy  day  Oliver  Cromwell  offered  Peters  his 
greatcoat.  "No,  thank  you,"  replied  his  chaplain; 
"  I  would  not  be  in  your  coat  for  a  thousand  pounds." 

Discoursing  one  day  on  the  advantage  Christians 
had  in  having  the  Gospel  preached  to  them — "  Verily," 
said  he,  "the  Word  hath  a  free  passage  amongst 
you,  for  it  goes  in  at  one  ear  and  out  at  the 
other." 

E 


50  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Preaching  on  the  subject  of  duties,  he  said  : — 

"Observe  the  three  fools  in  the  Gospel,  who,  being 
bid  to  the  wedding  supper,  every  one  had  his  excuse — 

"  I.  He  that  had  hired  a  farm  and  must  go  see  it. 
Had  he  not  been  a  fool,  he  would  have  seen  it  before 
hiring  it. 

"2.  He  that  had  bought  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  must 
go  try  them.  He  also  was  a  fool,  because  he  did  not 
try  them  before  he  bought  them. 

**  3.  He  that  married  a  wife,  and  without  complement 
said  he  could  not  come.  He  too  was  a  fool,  for  he 
showed  that  one  woman  drew  him  away,  more  than 
a  whole  yoke  of  oxen  did  the  former." 

Peters,  invited  to  dinner  at  a  friend's  house,  knowing 
him  to  be  very  wealthy  and  his  wife  very  fat,  said  at 
table  to  his  host,  "Truly,  sir,  you  have  the  world  and 
the  flesh,  but  pray  God  you  get  not  the  devil  in  the 
end." 

The  copy  of  the  Tales  and  Jests  of  Hugh  Peters  in  the 
British  Museum  has  notes  to  some  of  them,  showing 
that  the  writer  regarded  a  certain  number  as  genuine 
anecdotes  of  Peters.  Most  of  the  others  are  either 
older  stories,  or  else  have  little  or  no  wit  in  them. 

The  above  anecdotes  are  some  of  those  thus  noted. 

That  Hugh  Peters  was  a  wag  Pepys  lets  us  know, 
for  he  speaks  of  a  Scottish  chaplain  at  Whitehall,  after 
the  Restoration,  a  Dr.  Creighton,  whose  humour  re- 
minded the  diarist  of  Peters:  "the  most  comical  man 
that  ever  I  heard  ;  just  such  a  man  as  Hugh  Peters." 

At  the  Restoration  he  was  executed  as  a  regicide. 
He  was  not  directly  implicated  in  the  King's  death,  and 
all  that  he  could  be  accused  of  was  using  words  incen- 
tive to  regicide.  That  he  had  been  the  executioner 
was  not  charged  against  him.  There  was  no  evidence. 
The  accusations  Hugh  Peters  had  to  meet  were  that  he 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE  51 

had  encouraged  the  soldiers  to  cry  out  for  the  blood  of 
the  King,  whom  he  had  likened  to  Barabbas;  that  he 
had  preached  against  him ;  that  he  had  accused  the 
Levites,  Lords,  and  Lawyers — the  three  L's,  or  the 
Hundred  and  Fifty,  in  allusion  to  the  numerical  value 
of  the  numbers — as  men  who  should  be  swept  out  of 
the  Commonwealth  ;  that  he  had  declared  the  King  to 
be  a  tyrant,  and  that  the  office  of  King  was  useless  and 
dangerous. 

Peters  pleaded  that  he  had  been  living  fourteen 
years  out  of  England,  and  that  when  he  came  home  he 
found  that  the  Civil  War  had  already  begun  ;  that  he 
had  not  been  at  Edgehill  or  Naseby ;  that  he  had 
looked  after  three  things  only — the  introduction  into 
the  country  of  what  he  considered  to  be  sound  religion, 
the  maintenance  of  learning,  and  the  relief  of  the 
poor.  He  further  stated  that  on  coming  to  England 
he  had  considered  it  his  duty  to  side  with  the  Parlia- 
ment, and  that  he  had  acted  without  malice,  avarice,  or 
ambition. 

The  jury,  with  very  little  consultation,  returned  a 
verdict  of  guilty,  and  he  was  sentenced  to  death. 

On  the  i6th  October  Coke,  the  solicitor  for  the  people 
of  England  who  had  acted  against  the  King  at  his  trial, 
and  Hugh  Peters,  who  had  stood  and  preached  that  no 
mercy  should  be  shown  him,  were  to  die. 

On  the  hurdle  which  carried  Coke  was  placed  the 
head  of  Harrison,  who  had  been  executed  the  day 
before — a  piece  of  needless  brutality,  which  the  people 
who  lined  the  streets  indignantly  resented.  On  the 
scaffold  Coke  declared  that  for  the  part  he  had  borne 
in  the  trial  of  Charles  I  he  in  no  way  repented  of  what 
he  had  done.  Hugh  Peters  was  made  to  witness  all  the 
horrible  details  of  Coke's  execution,  the  hanging,  the 
disembowellinir.      He  sat  within  the  rails  which  sur- 


52  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

rounded  the  scaffold.  According  to  Ludlow:  "When 
this  victim  (Coke)  was  cut  down  and  brought  to  be 
quartered,  one  Colonel  Turner  called  to  the  sheriff's 
men  to  bring  Mr.  Peters  to  see  what  was  doing  ;  which 
being  done,  the  executioner  came  to  him,  and  rubbing 
his  bloody  hands  together,  asked  him  how  he  liked 
that  work.  He  told  him  he  was  not  at  all  terrified,  and 
that  he  might  do  his  worst,  and  when  he  was  on  the 
ladder  he  said  to  the  sheriff,  '  Sir,  you  have  butchered 
one  of  the  servants  of  God  before  my  eyes,  and  have 
forced  me  to  see  it,  in  order  to  terrify  and  discourage 
me  ;  but  God  has  permitted  it  for  my  support  and  en- 
couragement.' " 

A  man  upbraided  Peters  with  the  King's  death. 
"Friend,"  said  Peters,  "you  do  not  well  to  trample 
upon  a  dying  man  :  you  are  greatly  mistaken  ;  I  had 
nothing  to  do  in  the  death  of  the  King." 

As  he  was  going  to  the  gallows,  he  looked  about  him 
and  espied  a  man  with  whom  he  was  acquainted,  and 
to  him  he  gave  a  piece  of  money,  having  first  bent  it ; 
and  he  desired  the  man  to  carry  that  piece  of  gold  to 
his  daughter  as  a  token,  and  to  assure  her  that  his 
heart  was  full  of  comfort,  and  that  before  that  piece 
would  reach  her  hand  he  would  be  with  God  in  glory. 
Then  the  old  preacher,  who  had  lived  in  storms 
and  whirlwinds,  died  with  a  quiet  smile  on  his  coun- 
tenance. 

That  a  considerable  portion  of  the  community  re- 
garded the  execution  of  the  regicides  as  a  crime,  and 
those  who  suffered  as  martyrs,  would  appear  from  the 
pains  taken  to  vilify  their  memory  when  dead,  and 
attempts  made  to  justify  their  execution. 

The  authorities  for  the  life  of  Hugh  Peters  are 
msanXy  :  Memoirs  of  Edmund  LiidloTiij  1771  ;  B.  White- 
locke's   Memorials  of  English   Affairs,    1732  ;    Rush- 


HUGH    PETERS,   THE    REGICIDE  53 

worth's  Collections^  \6c^2.  ;  Bishop  Burnet's  History  of 
His  Oivn  Time,  1724;  John  Thurloe's  Collection  of  State 
Papers,    1742  ;    J.    B.    Felt's   Ecclesiastical  History  of 
New    England,    1855  ;    Benjamin    Brooke's   Puritans, 
1813,  Vol.  Ill  ;  The  Trial  of  Charles  I  and  of  Some  of 
the  Regicides,  in  Murray's  Family  Library,  1832  ;  the 
Rev.    Samuel    Peters'    A    History  of  the  Rev.   Hugh 
Peters,   New  York,    1807  ;  An  Historical  and  Critical 
Account  of  Hugh  Peters  (with  portrait),  London,  1751, 
reprinted  1818  ;  Felt  (Joseph  B.),  Memoir,  a  Defence  of 
Hugh   Peters,    Boston,    1857  ;    Colomb  (Colonel),    The 
Prince  of  Army  Chaplains,   London,    1899;    also  Gar- 
diner's (S.  R.)  History  of  the  Commomvealth,  and  the 
Dictionary  of  National  Biography ,  passim. 


JAMES    POLKINGHORNE, 
THE   WRESTLER 

JAMES  POLKINGHORNE,  the  noted  champion 
wrestler  of  Cornwall,  was  the  son  of  James 
Polkinghorne,  who  died  at  Creed,  i8th  March, 
1836.  The  wrestler  James  was  born  at  S. 
Keverne  in  1788,  but  there  is  no  entry  of  his  baptism 
in  the  parish  register. 

Cornish  wrestling  was  very  different  from  that  in 
Devon — it  was  less  brutal,  as  no  kicking  was  allowed. 
The  Devon  wrestlers  wore  boots  soaked  in  bullock's 
blood  and  indurated  at  the  fire,  and  with  these  hacked 
the  shins  of  their  opponents,  who  wore  as  a  protection 
skillibegSy  or  bands  of  hay  twisted  and  wrapped  round 
their  legs  below  the  knee. 

I  have  so  fully  described  the  wrestling  in  my  Devon- 
shire Characters  and  Strange  Events,  that  it  is  un- 
necessary here  to  go  over  the  same  ground  more  than 
cannot  be  helped. 

There  was  a  Cornish  jingle  that  ran  as  follows  : — 

Chacewater  boobies  up  in  a  tree, 
Looking  as  whish'd  as  ever  could  be, 
Truro  men,  strong  as  oak, 
Knock  'em  down  at  every  stroke — 

that  had  reference  to  the  wrestling  matches. 

In  1816  Polkinghorne,  who  had  become  the  inn- 
keeper of  the  "Red  Lion,"  S.  Columb  Major,  wrestled 
with   Flower,  a   Devonshire   man   of  gigantic  stature, 

54 


JAMES    I'OI.KINHOKN,    THK    lA.MuCS    COKMSII    WRESTI.EK 
Front  a  dra-wing  as  he  appenrai  in  the  Ring  at  Devnnport  on  Monday, 
23  October,  1826,  ivlien  lie  threw  Abni.  Canti,  the  Champion  0/  Devon- 
shire, for  a  stake  0/  200  sovereigns 


JAMES  POLKINGHORNE,  THE  WRESTLER  55 

and  threw  him.  Then  Jackman,  another  Devonian, 
challenged  Polkinghorne,  and  he  was  cast  over  the 
head  of  the  Cornishman,  describing  the  "flying  mare." 
But  the  most  notable  contest  in  which  Polkinghorne 
was  engaged  was  with  Abraham  Cann,  the  Devonshire 
champion.  The  match  was  for  ;6^20o  a  side,  for  the  best 
of  three  back-falls  ;  and  it  took  place  on  October  23rd, 
1826,  on  Tamar  Green,  Morice  Town,  Plymouth,  in  the 
presence  of  seventeen  thousand  spectators.  I  have 
quoted  the  account  already  in  my  Devonshire  Cliarac- 
ters,  but  cannot  omit  it  here. 

"Tamar  Green,  Devonport,  was  chosen  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  the  West  was  alive  with  speculation  when  it 
was  known  that  the  backers  meant  business.  On  the 
evening  before  the  contest  the  town  was  inundated, 
and  the  resources  of  its  hotels  and  inns  were  taxed  to 
the  utmost.  Truculent  and  redoubtable  gladiators 
flocked  to  the  scene — kickers  from  Dartmoor,  the 
recruiting-ground  of  the  Devonshire  system,  and  bear- 
like buggers  from  the  land  of  Tre,  Pol,  and  Pen  — a 
wonderful  company  of  tried  and  stalwart  experts.  Ten 
thousand  persons  bought  tickets  at  a  premium  for 
seats,  and  the  hills  around  swarmed  with  spectators. 
The  excitement  was  at  the  highest  possible  pitch,  and 
overwhelming  volumes  of  cheering  relieved  the  tension 
asthe  rivals  entered  the  ring — Polkinghorne  in  his  stock- 
ings, and  Cann  with  a  monstrous  pair  of  shoes  whose 
toes  had  been  baked  into  flints.  As  the  men  peeled  for 
action  such  a  shout  ascended  as  awed  the  nerves  of  all 
present.  Polkinghorne  had  been  discounted  as  fat  and 
unwieldy,  but  the  Devonians  were  dismayed  to  find 
that,  great  as  was  his  girth,  his  arms  were  longer,  and 
his  shoulders  immensely  powerful.  Three  stone  lighter 
in  weight,  Cann  displayed  a  more  sinewy  form,  and  his 
figure  was  knit  for  strength,  and  as  statuesquely  pro- 


56  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

portioned.  His  grip,  like  Polkinghorne's,  was  well 
known.  No  man  had  ever  shaken  it  off  when  once  he 
had  clinched ;  and  each  enjoyed  a  reputation  for 
presence  of  mind  and  resource  in  extremity  beyond 
those  of  other  masters  of  the  art.  The  match  was  for 
the  best  of  three  back-falls,  the  men  to  catch  what  hold 
they  could  ;  and  two  experts  from  each  county  were 
selected  as  sticklers.  The  feeling  was  in  favour  of 
Cann  at  the  outset,  but  it  receded  as  the  Cornishman 
impressed  the  multitude  with  his  muscular  superiority. 
Repeatedly  shifting  their  positions,  the  combatants 
sought  their  favourite  'holds.'  As  soon  as  Cann 
caught  his  adversary  by  the  collar,  after  a  contending 
display  of  shifty  and  evasive  form,  Polkinghorne 
released  himself  by  a  feint ;  and,  amid  '  terrible  shouts 
from  the  Cornishmen,'  he  drove  his  foe  to  his  knees. 

"Nothing  daunted,  the  Devonian  accepted  the  Cor- 
nish hug,  and  the  efforts  of  the  rivals  were  superb. 
Cann  depended  on  his  science  to  save  him,  but  Polking- 
horne gathered  his  head  under  his  arm,  and  lifting  him 
from  the  ground,  threw  him  clean  over  his  shoulder, 
and  planted  him  on  his  back.  The  very  earth  groaned 
with  the  uproar  that  followed  ;  the  Cornishmen  jumped 
by  hundreds  into  the  ring  ;  there  they  embraced  their 
champion  till  he  begged  to  be  released  ;  and,  amid 
cheers  and  execrations,  the  fall  was  announced  to  have 
complied  with  the  conditions.  Bets  to  the  amount  of 
hundreds  of  pounds  were  decided  by  this  event. 

"  Polkinghorne  now  went  to  work  with  caution,  and 
Cann  was  conscious  that  he  had  an  awkward  customer 
to  tackle.  After  heavy  kicking  and  attempted  hugging, 
the  Cornishman  tried  once  more  to  lift  his  opponent  ; 
but  Cann  caught  his  opponent's  leg  in  his  descent,  and 
threw  him  to  the  ground  first.  In  the  ensuing  rounds 
both    men    played    for   wind.      Polkinghorne   was   the 


JAMES  POLKINGHORNE,  THE  WRESTLER  57 

more  distressed,  his  knees  quite  raw  with  punishment, 
and  the  betting  veered  in  Cann's  favour.  Then  the 
play  changed,  and  Cann  was  apparently  at  the  mercy  of 
his  foe,  when  he  upset  Polkinghorne's  balance  by  a 
consummate  effort,  and  threw  him  on  his  back  by  sheer 
strength— the  first  that  the  sticklers  allowed  him.  Cann 
next  kicked  tremendously  ;  but  although  the  Cornish- 
man  suffered  severely,  he  remained  Mead  game,'  and 
twice  saved  himself  by  falling  on  his  chest. 

''Disputes  now  disturbed  the  umpires,  and  their 
number  was  reduced  to  two.  In  the  eighth  round 
Polkinghorne's  strength  began  to  fail,  and  a  dispute 
was  improvised  which  occasioned  another  hour's  delay. 
With  wind  regained  and  strength  revived,  the  tenth 
round  was  contested  with  absolute  fury  ;  and,  taking 
kicking  with  fine  contempt,  Polkinghorne  gripped  Cann 
with  leonine  majesty,  lifted  him  from  the  earth  in  his 
arms,  turned  him  over  his  head,  and  dashed  him  to  the 
ground  with  stunning  force.  As  the  Cornishman 
dropped  on  his  knee  the  fall  was  disputed,  and  the  turn 
was  disallowed.  Polkinghorne  then  left  the  ring  amid 
a  mighty  clamour,  and  by  reason  of  his  default  the 
stakes  were  awarded  to  Cann.  The  victor  emergred 
from  the  terrific  hug  of  his  opponent  with  a  mass 
of  bruises,  which  proved  that  kicking  was  only  one 
degree  more  effective  than  hugging. 

"  A  more  unsatisfactory  issue  could  hardly  have  been 
conceived,  and  the  rival  backers  forthwith  endeavoured 
to  arrange  another  encounter.  Polkinghorne  refused 
to  meet  Cann,  however,  unless  he  discarded  his  shoes."  ^ 
Various  devices  were  attempted  to  bring  them  to- 
gether again,  but  they  failed.  Each  had  a  wholesome 
dread  of  the  other. 

'  Whitfeld,  Plymouth  and  Devonport  in   War  and  Peace,   Plymouth, 
1900. 


58  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

An  account  of  the  contest  was  written  as  a  ballad  and 
was  entitled  "A  New  Song  on  the  Wrestling  Match 
between  Cann  and  Polkinghorne,"  that  was  to  be  sung 
to  the  tune  "The  Night  I  Married  Susy,"  or  else  to 
"  The  Coronation." 

Full  accounts  are  to  be  found  in  The  Sporting  Maga- 
zine, London,  LXVH,  165-6;  LXIX,  55-6,  215,  314- 
16,  344.     \x\.\hQ  Annual  Register,  chronicle  1826,  157-8. 

Polkinghorne  died  at  S.  Columb,  on  September  15th, 
1854,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  twenty-eight  years  after 
his  match  with  Cann.  He  was  buried  on  September 
17th. 


HENRY   TRENGROUSE,    INVENTOR 

HELSTON  is  a  quaint  old  town,  once  of  far 
more  importance  than  at  present.  It  pos- 
sessed an  old  castle,  that  has  now  disap- 
peared. It  was  one  of  the  six  stannary 
towns,  and  prior  to  1832  returned  two  members  to 
Parliament.  It  still  glories  in  its  "  Furry  Day,"  when 
the  whole  town  goes  mad,  dancing,  in  spite  of  Metho- 
dism. It  has  on  some  of  its  old  house-gables  pixy 
seats,  and  it  had  a  grammar  school  that  has  had  notable 
masters,  as  Derwent  Coleridge,  and  notable  scholars, 
as  Henry  Trengrouse.  It  is  the  key  and  capital  to  that 
wonderful  district,  rich  in  geological  and  botanic  and 
antiquarian  interest,  the  Lizard. 

The  great  natural  curiosity  of  Helston  is  Loe  Pool, 
formed  by  the  Comber,  a  small  river,  penned  back  by 
Loe  Bar,  a  pebble-and-sand  ridge  thrown  up  by  the 
sea.  The  sheet  of  water  lying  between  wooded  hills 
abounds  in  trout,  and  white  swans  float  dreamily  over 
the  still  water.  The  banks  are  rich  with  fern,  and 
yellow,  white,  and  pink  mesembryanthemum.  For- 
merly the  pool  rose  till  it  overflowed  the  lower  parts 
of  the  town  ;  now  a  culvert  has  been  driven  through 
the  rocks  to  let  off  the  water  as  soon  as  it  has  attained 
a  certain  height. 

Henry  Trengrouse  was  born  at  Helston,  i8th  March, 
1772,  the  son  of  Nicholas  Trengrouse  (1739-1814),  and 
of  Mary,  his  wife,  who  was  a  Williams. 

The  family  had  been  long  among  the  freeholders  of 

59 


6o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Helston,  and  possessed  as  well  a  small  estate,  Priske, 
in  the  parish  of  Mullion  ;  but  the  family  name  is  taken 
from  Tref-an-grouse,  the  House  by  the  Cross,  in  the 
same  parish. 

Henry  was  educated  in  Helston  Grammar  School, 
and  became,  by  trade,  a  cabinet-maker. 

On  29th  December,  1807,  when  he  was  aged  thirty- 
five,  a  rumour  spread  through  the  little  town  that  a 
large  frigate,  H.M.S.  Anson,  had  been  driven  ashore 
on  Loe  Bar,  about  three  miles  distant.  Mr.  Trengrouse 
and  many  others  hastened  to  the  coast  and  reached  the 
bar. 

The  Anson,  forty-four  guns,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Lydiard,  had  left  Falmouth  on  Christmas  Eve 
for  her  station  off  Brest  as  a  look-out  ship  for  the 
Channel  Fleet. 

A  gale  from  the  W.S.W.  sprang  up,  and  after  being 
buffeted  about  till  the  28th,  with  the  wind  increasing, 
the  captain  determined  to  run  to  port.  The  first  land 
they  made  was  the  Land's  End,  which  they  mistook 
for  the  Lizard,  and  only  discovered  their  mistake  when 
the  cry  of  "  Breakers  ahead  !  "  was  heard  from  the  man 
on  the  look-out.  They  were  now  embayed,  and  in 
face  of  the  terrible  storm  it  was  impossible  to  work  off, 
so  both  cables  were  let  go.  The  Anson  rode  to  these 
till  the  early  morning  of  the  29th,  when  they  parted, 
and  the  captain,  in  order  to  save  as  many  lives  as 
possible,  decided  to  beach  her  on  the  sand  off  Loe  Pool. 
A  tremendous  sea  was  running,  and  as  she  took  the 
beach  only  sixty  yards  from  the  bar,  she  was  dashed 
broadside  on,  and  happily  for  the  poor  fellows  on 
board,  heeled  landwards.  Seas  mountains  high  rolled 
over  her,  sweeping  everything  before  them.  Then  her 
masts  went  by  the  board,  her  main  mast  forming  a  float- 
ing raft  from  the  ship  almost  to  the  shore,  and  over  this 


IIKNRV    IKENGROUSE,    THE    INVENTOR   OF   THE    KOCKE 1'    AIM'ARAITS 

FOR   SAVING    LIFE    AT   SEA 

From  an  oil  fiainting  hy  Opie  the  younger,  refirotfuceif  hy  pennissiou  of  Mr.  H .  I'rengrouse 


HENRY   TRENGROUSE,    INVENTOR      6i 

scrambled  through  the  maddened  waves  most  of  those 
who  were  saved. 

It  was  a  terrible  sight  to  witness  for  the  hundreds  of 
spectators  who  had  by  this  time  collected  on  the  beach, 
but  it  was  almost  impossible  for  them  to  render  any 
assistance. 

At  last,  when  all  hands  seemed  to  have  left  the  ship, 
two  stout-hearted  Methodist  local  preachers — Mr.  Tobias 
Roberts,  of  Helston,  and  Mr.  Foxwell,  of  Mullion — 
made  an  attempt  to  reach  her,  so  as  to  see  if  any  one 
remained  on  board.  They  succeeded,  and  were  soon 
followed  by  others,  who  found  several  people,  includ- 
ing two  women  and  as  many  children.  The  women  and 
some  of  the  men  were  safely  conveyed  ashore,  but  the 
children  were  drowned.  There  were  altogether  up- 
wards of  a  hundred  drowned,  including  the  captain, 
who  stood  by  the  frigate  to  the  last.  The  exact  number 
was  never  known,  as  many  of  the  soldiers  deserted  on 
reaching  the  shore. 

The  survivors  salved  a  good  deal  from  the  wreck, 
amongst  which  were  watches,  jewellery,  and  many 
articles  of  considerable  value.  They  were  placed  all  to- 
gether in  a  bedroom  of  the  old  inn  at  Porthleven,  with 
a  soldier  with  drawn  sword  on  guard.  One  of  the 
beams  that  bent  under  such  an  unusual  weight  may  be 
seen  bowed  to  this  day.  A  local  militia  sergeant  was 
soon  afterwards  sent  to  Helston  in  charge  of  a  wagon- 
load  of  these  valuable  goods,  and  when  half-way  to  his 
destination  was  accosted  by  a  Jew,  who  offered  him 
£^o  in  exchange  for  his  load.  "  Here  is  my  answer," 
said  the  sergeant,  presenting  a  loaded  pistol  at  his 
head,  and  the  fellow  hurriedly  took  his  departure. 

Much  indignation  was  raised  at  the  time  by  the  way 
in  which  the  victims  of  the  disaster  were  buried.  They 
were  bundled  in  heaps  into  large  pits  dug  in  the  cliff 


62  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

above,  without  any  burial  service  being  performed  over 
them.  It  was  customary  everywhere  at  that  time  for  all 
bodies  washed  ashore  to  be  interred  by  the  finder  at 
the  nearest  convenient  spot.  But  as  a  result  of  the  in- 
decent methods  of  burial  of  the  Anson  victims,  an  Act 
of  Parliament  was  framed  by  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert,  and 
passed  on  i8th  June,  1808,  providing  "suitable  inter- 
ment in  churchyards  and  parochial  burying-grounds  " 
for  all  bodies  cast  up  by  the  sea. 

The  Anson  was  a  sixty-four  gun  frigate  cut  down 
to  a  forty-four,  and  had  seen  much  service.  Among 
many  fights,  she  figured  in  Lord  Rodney's  action  on 
1 2th  April,  1782,  formed  part  of  the  fleet  which  re- 
pulsed the  French  squadron  in  an  attempt  to  land  in 
Ireland  in  1796,  helped  in  the  seizure  of  the  French 
West  Indies  in  1803,  and  in  1807  took  part  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Cura9ao  from  the  Dutch.  It  was  not  long  after 
her  return  from  this  latter  place  that  she  left  Falmouth 
for  the  cruise  on  which  she  met  her  fate.^ 

In  1902  the  hull  of  the  Anson,  after  having  been 
submerged  for  ninety-five  years,  came  to  light  again. 
She  was  found  by  Captain  Anderson  of  the  West  of 
England  Salvage  Company,  whose  attention  had  been 
directed  to  the  wreck  by  a  Porthleven  fisherman.  Un- 
fortunately at  the  time  the  weather  was  so  stormy  that 
Captain  Anderson  could  not  proceed  with  any  efforts 
of  salvage,  and  with  the  exception  of  one  visit  of 
inspection  the  interesting  relic  was  left  untouched. 
But  in  April,  1903,  with  a  bright  sky  and  a  light  breeze 
from  the  north-east,  he  proceeded  to  the  spot  and  in- 
spected the  remains.  The  hull  of  the  vessel  was  not 
intact,  and  several  guns  were  lying  alongside.  One  of 
these,  about  10  ft.  6  in.  long,  Captain  Anderson  secured 
and  hoisted  on  to  the  deck  of  the  Green  Castle  by  means 

^  Mornmg  Leader^  29th  October,  1902. 


HENRY   TRENGROUSE,    INVENTOR      63 

of  a  winch,  and  afterwards  conveyed  it  to  Penzance.  It 
was  much  encrusted.  Amongst  the  mass  of  debris  also 
raised  were  several  cannon-balls. 

But  to  return  to  Henry  Trengrouse,  who  had  stood 
on  the  beach  watching  the  wreck,  the  rescue  of  some 
and  the  perishing  of  others. 

Drenched  with  rain  and  spray,  and  sick  at  heart, 
Henry  Trengrouse  returned  to  his  home,  and  was  con- 
fined to  his  bed  for  nearly  a  week,  having  contracted 
a  severe  cold.  The  terrible  scene  had  made  an  in- 
delible impression  on  his  mind,  and  he  could  not,  even 
if  he  had  wished  it,  drive  the  thought  away.  Night 
and  day  he  mused  on  the  means  whereby  some  assist- 
ance could  be  given  to  the  shipwrecked,  some  com- 
munication be  established  between  the  vessel  and  the 
shore. 

He  was  a  great  friend  of  Samuel  Drew,  whose 
life  was  devoted  to  metaphysics,  and  it  was  perhaps 
the  contrast  in  the  two  minds  that  made  them  friends 
— one  an  idealist,  the  other  practical. 

Trengrouse  had  a  small  competence,  besides  his  trade, 
and  he  devoted  every  penny  that  he  could  spare  to 
experiments,  first  in  the  construction  of  a  lifeboat,  but 
without  satisfactory  results. 

The  King's  birthday  was  celebrated  at  Helston  with 
fireworks  on  the  green  ;  and  as  Henry  Trengrouse 
looked  up  at  the  streak  of  fire  rushing  into  the  darkness 
above  and  scattering  a  shower  of  stars,  it  occurred  to 
him.  Why  should  not  a  rocket,  instead  of  wasting 
itself  in  an  exhibition  of  fireworks,  do  service  and 
become  a  means  of  carrying  a  rope  to  a  vessel  among 
the  breakers?  When  a  communication  has  been  estab- 
lished between  the  wreck  and  the  shore,  above  the 
waves,  it  may  become  an  aerial  passage  along  which 
those  in  distress  may  pass  to  safety. 


64  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Something  of  the  same  idea  had  already  occurred  to 
Lieutenant  John  Bell  in  1791,  but  his  proposal  was  that 
a  shot  with  a  chain  attached  to  it  should  be  discharged 
from  a  mortar.  Captain  George  William  Manby  had 
his  attention  drawn  to  this  in  February,  1807,  and  in 
August  of  the  same  year  exhibited  some  experiments 
with  his  improved  life-preserving  mortar  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Suffolk  House  Humane  Society.  By  the 
discharge  of  the  mortar  a  barbed  shot  was  to  be  flung 
on  to  the  wreck,  with  a  line  attached  to  the  shot.  By 
means  of  this  line  a  hawser  could  be  drawn  from  the 
shore  to  the  ship,  and  along  it  would  be  run  a  cradle  in 
which  the  shipwrecked  persons  could  be  drawn  to  land. 

Manby's  mortar  was  soon  abandoned  as  cumbrous 
and  dangerous ;  men  were  killed  during  tests ;  not- 
withstanding which  he  was  awarded  ^2000.  The  great 
merit  of  Trengrouse's  invention  was  that  the  rocket 
was  much  lighter  than  a  shot  from  a  mortar,  and  was, 
moreover,  more  portable,  and  there  was  a  special  line 
manufactured  for  it  that  would  not  kink,  nor  would 
it  snap,  because  the  velocity  of  the  rocket  increased 
gradually,  whereas  that  from  a  discharge  of  a  mortar 
was  sudden  and  so  great  that  the  cord  was  frequently 
ruptured. 

The  distinctive  feature  of  Trengrouse's  apparatus 
consisted  of  "  a  section  of  a  cylinder,  which  is  fitted  to 
the  barrel  of  a  musket  by  a  bayonet  socket  ;  a  rocket 
with  a  line  attached  to  its  stick  is  so  placed  on  it  that  its 
priming  receives  fire  immediately  from  the  barrel  "  ;  ^ 
whereas  a  metal  mortar  could  not  be  conveyed  to  the 
cliff    or   shore  opposite  the  scene  of  disaster   without 

^  There  is  an  engraving  of  it  in  tlie  Annual  Report  of  the  Society  of 
Arts  for  1821.  Tlie  life-preserving-  rocket  was  exliibited  on  the  Serpentine 
before  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  afterwards  King  William  IV^,  on  May  28th, 
1819.  People  looked  on  as  at  some  firework  display,  and  nothing  came 
of  it. 


HENRY   TRENGROUSE,    INVENTOR      65 

being  drawn  in  a  conveyance  by  horses,  and  where 
there  was  no  road  with  the  utmost  difficulty  dragged 
over  hedges  and  ploughed  fields  by  men.  Not  only  so, 
but  a  shot  discharged  by  Captain  Manby's  mortar  was 
liable  to  endanger  life.  Wrecks  generally  happened 
in  the  dark,  and  then  the  shot  would  not  be  visible  to 
those  on  the  wreck.  But  Trengrouse's  rocket  would 
indicate  its  track  by  the  trail  of  fire  by  which  it  was 
impelled,  and  could  be  fired  from  either  the  ship  or  the 
shore. 

Trengrouse  expended  ^^"3000  on  his  experiments,  and 
sacrificed  to  this  one  object — that  of  saving  life — 
his  capital,  his  business,  and  his  health.  He  cut  off 
the  entail  on  Priske,  which  had  belonged  to  the 
family  for  several  generations,  and  sold  it  to  enable 
him  to  pursue  his  experiments.  There  was  much 
that  was  pathetic  in  his  life :  there  were  the  long 
and  frequent  journeys  to  London  from  Helston,  four 
days  by  coach,  sometimes  in  mid-winter  and  in  snow- 
storms, with  the  object  of  inducing  successive  Govern- 
ments to  adopt  the  rocket  apparatus,  meeting  only  with 
discouragement.  Nor  was  this  all.  After  all  his  own 
means  had  been  exhausted,  he  received  a  legacy  of 
;^500  under  a  brother's  will,  and  this  sum  he  at  once 
devoted  to  further  endeavours  with  H.M.  Government 
for  the  general  adoption  of  his  rocket  apparatus. 

The  Russian  ambassador  now  stepped  forward  and 
invited  Trengrouse  to  S.  Petersburg,  where  he  assured 
him  that,  instead  of  rebuffs,  he  would  experience  only 
the  consideration  due  to  him  for  his  inventions.  But 
Trengrouse's  reply  was,  "My  country  first";  and 
that  country  allowed  him,  after  the  signal  services  he 
had  rendered  to  humanity — to  die  penniless. 

His  original  design  was  to  supply  every  ship  with  a 
rocket  apparatus  ;    as  vessels  were  almost  invariably 

V 


66  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

wrecked  before  the  wind,  the  line  might  the  more  easily 
be  fired  from  a  ship  than  from  the  shore. 

Trengrouse  once  met  Sir  William  Congreve,  who 
also  claimed  to  be  the  inventor  of  the  war-rocket  ;  and 
Trengrouse  said  to  him  in  the  course  of  their  dis- 
cussion, '*As  far  as  I  can  see.  Sir  William,  your 
rocket  is  designed  to  destroy  life  ;  mine  is  to  save  life  ; 
and  I  do  claim  to  be  the  first  that  ever  thought  of 
utilizing  a  rocket  for  the  saving  of  human  lives."^ 

Trengrouse  moreover  invented  the  cork  jacket  or 
*Mife  preserver."  This  was  a  success,  and  has  never 
been  improved  on.  It  has  been  the  means  of  saving 
many  hundreds  of  lives.  He  also  built  a  model  of  a 
lifeboat,  that  could  not  be  sunk,  and  was  equal  to  the 
present  lifeboats  of  the  Royal  Lifeboat  Association 
in  all  respects  except  the  "self-righting"  principle. 
It  was  not  until  February  28th,  18 18,  after  many  jour- 
neys to  London,  and  much  ignorant  and  prejudiced 
objection  that  he  had  to  contend  against,  such  as  is 
found  so  usual  among  Government  officials,  that  Tren- 
grouse was  able  to  exhibit  his  apparatus  before  Admiral 
Sir  Charles  Rowley.  A  committee  was  appointed,  and 
on  March  5th  it  reported  favourably  on  the  scheme. 

In  the  same  year  the  Committee  of  the  Elder 
Brethren  of  Trinity  House  reported  in  high  terms 
on  the  invention,  and  recommended  that  '*no  vessel 
should  be  without  it." 

Thereupon  Government  began  to  move  slowly ;  in 
the  House  the  matter  was  discussed  and  haggled  over. 
One  speaker  exclaimed:  "You  are  guilty  of  sinful 
negligence  in  this  matter,  for  while  you  are  parleying 
over  this  invention  and  this  important  subject,  thou- 
sands of  our  fellow-men  are  losing  their  lives." 

*  Trengrouse's  apparatus  fitted  into  a  case  4  ft.  3  in.  long  by  i  ft.  6  in. 
wide. 


HENRY   TRENGROUSE,    INVENTOR      67 

At  last  Government  ordered  twenty  sets  of  the  life- 
preserving  rockets,  but  afterwards  resolved  on  making 
the  apparatus  itself,  and  paid  Trengrouse  the  sum  of 
£50,  the  supposed  amount  of  profit  he  would  have 
made  on  the  order.  Fifty  pounds  was  all  his  ungrate- 
ful country  could  afford  to  give  him.  In  182 1,  how- 
ever, the  Society  of  Arts  pronounced  favourably  on 
his  apparatus,  and  presented  Trengrouse  with  their 
silver  medal  and  a  grant  of  thirty  guineas. 

Through  the  Russian  ambassador,  the  then  Czar  sent 
him  a  diamond  ring,  in  consideration  of  the  great 
advantage  his  apparatus  had  proved  in  shipwrecks  on 
the  Baltic  and  the  Black  Sea.  Even  this  he  was  con- 
strained to  pledge,  that  he  might  devote  the  money  to 
his  darling  project. 

With  these  acknowledgments  of  his  services  he  had 
to  rest  contented  ;  but  ever  the  news  of  lives  having 
been  saved  through  his  invention  was  a  solace  to  an 
even  and  contented  mind. 

Henry  Trengrouse  died  at  Helston  on  February 
19th,  1854. 

As  he  lay  on  his  death-bed  with  his  face  to  the  wall, 
he  turned  about,  and  with  one  of  his  bright,  hopeful 
smiles  said  to  his  son,  "  If  you  live  to  be  as  old  as 
I  am,  you  will  find  my  rocket  apparatus  all  along  our 
shores."  They  were  his  last  words;  in  a  few  minutes 
he  had  passed  away. 

The  rocket  apparatus  is  along  the  shores  at  300 
stations,  but  not,  as  he  had  hoped,  on  board  the 
vessels.  He  had  despaired  of  obtaining  that,  yet  that 
is  what  he  aimed  at  principally. 

In  April,  1905,  owing  to  the  loss  of  the  Kyber  on 
the  Land's  End  coast,  questions  were  asked  in  the 
House  of  Commons  relative  to  wireless  telegraphy 
between  the  lighthouses  and  the  coast.     On  that  occa- 


68  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

sion  one  of  the  most  valuable  suggestions  was  made 
by  a  shipping  expert,  who  considered  that  the  Board 
of  Trade  should  make  it  compulsory  that  a  light  rocket 
apparatus  should  be  carried  by  all  vessels,  so  that, 
when  in  distress,  if  near  the  coast,  the  crew  could  send 
a  rocket  ashore.  This  marine  engineer  said:  "On 
shore  the  rockets  must  be  fired  by  practised  men,  such 
as  coastguards,  because  they  have  to  strike  a  small 
object ;  but  on  a  vessel  they  have  only  to  hit  the  land,  and 
if  people  are  about,  the  line  will  quickly  be  seized  and 
made  fast.  At  present,  too,  horses  and  wagons  have  to  be 
used,  and  sometimes  it  is  difficult  to  find  a  road  leading 
down  to  the  spot  from  which  help  must  be  rendered. 
Probably  for  twenty  pounds  an  appliance  could  be  kept 
on  board  a  vessel  which  would  send  a  line  ashore  in  less 
time  and  with  more  certainty  than  at  present.  When 
a  vessel  is  being  blown  ashore,  I  have  seen  rockets 
fired  from  the  land  return  like  a  boomerang  to  the  cliff 
on  account  of  the  strength  of  the  gale.  In  my  judg- 
ment, mariners  should  assist  in  their  own  salvation." 

On  this  Mr.  H.  Trengrouse,  grandson  of  the  in- 
ventor, wrote  to  the  Cornishmaii,  24th  April,  1905  : — 

"Your  suggestion  in  the  Cornishman  of  the  15th 
instant  .  .  .  that  all  vessels  should  be  compelled  by 
the  Board  of  Trade  to  carry  this  apparatus,  is  very 
practical,  and  should,  and  I  trust  may,  be  soon 
adopted. 

"  It  may  interest  your  readers  to  learn  that  the  in- 
ventor, my  grandfather,  the  late  Mr.  Henry  Tren- 
grouse, of  Helston,  urged  this  upon  successive  Govern- 
ments without  any  encouragement  whatever,  and  I  on 
two  occasions  have  also  suggested  it  to  the  principals 
of  the  Marine  Department  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  who 
have  informed  me  of  a  strong  opinion  always  enter- 
tained,   that   on   the  occasion   of  wreck,   there  would 


HENRY   TRENGROUSE,    INVENTOR      69 

probably  not  be  any  one  on  board  possessing  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  use  of  the  apparatus  to  render  it  of 
any  value ;  which  seems  very  strange  indeed,  and 
might  be  readily  obviated  by,  at  least,  the  captain  and 
officers  of  vessels  being  instructed  in  its  use— surely 
simple  enough.  My  grandfather  devoted  much  time 
to  make  it  so  ;  and  the  advantage  of  an  appliance  for 
use  on  board  is  so  palpable,  and  the  loss  of  life  during 
many  years  by  its  absence  so  considerable,  that  it  is 
extremely  gratifying  to  observe  a  renewed  and  increas- 
ing interest  in  the  subject,  which  I  hope.  Sir,  as  you 
state,  being  so  important,  may  now  be  kept  to  the  fore. 
*'  I  am.  Sir, 

''  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  H.  Trengrouse." 

That  this  admirable  letter  to  the  Cornishman  should 
at  the  time  produce  no  effect  on  the  Board  of  Trade 
is  what  every  one  who  has  had  any  dealings  with  that 
Board  would  predicate. 

At  length,  however,  some  goading  has  roused  that 
obstructive,  inert  body  into  inquiring  into  this  matter. 
I  read  in  the  Daily  Express  of  27th  January,  1908  : 
**The  question  whether  the  carrying  of  rockets  for 
projecting  lifelines  should  be  made  compulsory  on  all 
British  ships  is  being  investigated  by  a  special  com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  Board  of  Trade.  One  witness 
before  the  committee  said  that  he  had  seen  fifty  men 
drowned  within  sixty  yards  of  the  shore  in  a  gale,  and 
that  all  might  have  been  saved  had  the  vessel  been 
equipped  with  line-throwing  guns." 

So — after  the  lapse  of  eighty-six  or  seven  years,  and 
the  loss  of  thousands  of  lives  that  might  have  been 
saved  had  not  the  Board  of  Trade  been  too  inert  to 
move  in  the  matter — an  inquiry  has  once  more  been 


70  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

instituted.     Let   us   hope   that   after   this    inquiry   the 

matter  may  not  be  allowed  to  fall  again  into  neglect. 

That  the  rocket  fired  from  the  shore  has  been  already 
the  means  of  saving  lives,  the  following  report  on  it 
made  to  the  Board  of  Trade,  for  the  year  ending 
30th  June,  1907,  will  testify  : — 

"During  the  year  ended  as  above,  268  lives  were 
saved  by  means  of  the  life-saving  apparatus,  that  is  to 
say,  127  more  than  the  number  saved  by  the  same 
means  during  the  previous  year,  and  67  more  than  the 
average  for  the  previous  ten  years.  The  total  number 
of  lives  saved  by  the  life-saving  apparatus  since  1870 
is  8924.  This  number  does  not  include  the  large 
number  of  lives  saved  by  means  of  ropes  and  other 
assistance  from  the  shore." 

After  the  loss  of  the  Berlin,  belonging  to  the  Great 
Eastern  Company,  in  1907,  the  attention  of  the  Dutch 
Government  was  called  to  the  advantage  of  having  the 
rocket  apparatus  on  board  ship,  and  legal  instructions 
were  drafted,  making  it  obligatory  upon  all  vessels  of 
over  two  hundred  tons  gross  to  carry  rocket  apparatus. 

Henry  Trengrouse's  noble  life  was  a  failure  in  so 
far  as  that  it  brought  him  no  pecuniary  results — covered 
him  with  disappointment,  reduced  him  to  poverty.  He 
received,  in  all,  for  his  life's  work,  and  the  sacrifice  of 
fortune  and  the  landed  estate  of  his  ancestors,  ;^5o 
from  Government,  ^^■31  \os.  from  the  Society  of  Arts, 
and  a  diamond  ring  that  in  his  time  of  need  he  was 
constrained  to  pawn,  and  which  he  was  never  able  to 
redeem. 

Russell  Lowell  puts  these  lines  into  the  mouth  of 
Cromwell,  in  his  Glance  behind  the  Curtain : — 

My  God,  when  I  read  o'er  the  bitter  lives 
Of  men  whose  eager  hearts  are  quite  too  great 
To  beat  beneath  the  cramp'd  mode  of  the  day, 
And  see  them  mocked  at  by  the  world  they  love, 


HENRY   TRENGROUSE,    INVENTOR       71 

Haggling  with  prejudice  for  pennyworths 
Of  that  reform  which  this  hard  toil  will  make 
The  common  birthright  of  the  age  to  come — 
When  I  see  this,  spite  of  my  faith  in  God, 
I  marvel  how  their  hearts  bear  up  so  long  ; 
Nor  could  they,  but  for  this  same  prophecy, 
This  inward  feeling  of  the  glorious  end. 

Henry  Trengrouse  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Mary  Jenken,  19th  November,  1795.  She  was  born 
at  S.  Erth,  9th  September,  1772,  and  died  at  Helston, 
27th  March,  1863.  By  her  he  had  one  son  only  who 
reached  manhood,  Nicholas  Trevenen  Trengrouse,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  ;  and  one  daughter,  Jane, 
who  married  Thomas  Rogers,  solicitor,  of  Helston  ; 
Emma,  who  married  a  Mr.  Matthews  ;  and  two,  Mary 
and  Anne,  who  died  unmarried,  the  first  at  the  age  of 
eighty,  the  latter  at  that  of  ninety-four. 

To  Mr.  Henry  Trengrouse,  the  son  of  Mr.  Nicholas 
T.  Trengrouse,  I  am  indebted  for  much  information 
relative  to  his  grandfather,  as  also  to  a  lecture,  never 
published,  delivered  in  1894  by  the  Rev.  James 
Ninnis,  who  says  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  H.  Trengrouse, 
junior:  "Most  of  the  detail  I  have  taken  from  notes 
of  my  father,  dated  1878;  he  got  them  from  conversation 
with  your  respected  father." 

Mr.  J.  Ninnis'  grandfather  had  stood  on  the  beach 
by  the  side  of  Henry  Trengrouse,  watching  the  wreck 
of  the  Anso7i. 

A  portrait  of  the  inventor,  by  Opie  the  younger,  is 
in  the  possession  of  the  family  at  Helston,  as  is  also 
the  picture  of  the  wreck  of  the  Ansofi  sketched  at  the 
time  by  Mr.  Trengrouse.  For  permission  to  reproduce 
both  I  am  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  the  grandson 
of  the  inventor. 


THE    BOTATHAN    GHOST 

IN  April,  1720,  Daniel  Defoe  published  his  History 
of  the  Life  and  Adveiitures  of  Mr.  Duncan 
Campbell.  In  August  a  second  edition  was 
called  for,  of  which  some  copies  included  a 
pamphlet  that  had  been  printed  in  June  :  *'  Mr.  Camp- 
bell's Pacquet,  for  the  Entertainment  of  Gentlemen  and 
Ladies,"  and  this  ''  Pacquet  "  contains  "  A  Remarkable 
Passage  of  an  Apparition,  related  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Ruddle,  of  Launceston,  in  Cornwall,  in  the  year  1665." 
It  has  been  assumed  that  this  ghost  story  was  a  bit  of 
invention  of  the  lively  imagination  of  Defoe.  Mrs. 
Bray  in  her  T?'elaw7iy  of  Trelaimie  stated  that  the  story 
could  not  be  true,  as  no  such  a  name  as  Dingley,  which 
was  that  of  the  ghost,  was  known  in  Launceston.  As 
it  happened,  James  Dingley  had  been  instituted  to  the 
vicarage  of  the  very  parish  of  South  Petherwin,  in 
which  the  ghost  appeared,  in  the  same  reign  in  which 
the  apparition  occurred,  and  he  assisted  Ruddle  in  his 
ministrations  in  Launceston,  and  the  name  occurs  to  this 
day  in  the  town  and  neighbourhood.  In  fact,  Dingley, 
Pethebridge,  and  Dingley  are  bankers  there. 

In  the  same  heedless  fashion  Cyrus  Redding  wrote 
in  1842  that  the  story  was  *'  told  with  so  much  simplicity 
of  truth  that  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  tale  is  not, 
as  novel  writers  say,  '  founded  on  fact.'  "  And  he  goes 
on  to  state  :  "  No  clergyman  of  the  name  of  Ruddle  had 
been  incumbent  in  Launceston  for  two  hundred  years 
past,  at  least  in  S.  Mary's  Church."      Yet  the  monu- 

72 


PARSON    RUUALL" 
From  a  /•aintiu^  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  S.  Baring  Gonlu 


THE    BOTATHAN   GHOST  73 

ment  of  Parson  Ruddle  is  in  the  church,  and  he 
occupied  the  living  from  1663  to  his  death  in  1699. 

Again,  Samuel  Drew,  in  his  History  of  Cormvall, 
blunders  as  to  the  locality,  making  the  apparition 
appear  in  the  parish  of  Little  Petherick,  near  Padstow. 

Next  Mr.  Hawker,  of  Morwenstow,  fabricated  a 
''Diurnall"  of  Ruddle,  which  adopted  Drew's  error, 
and  by  altering  the  date  made  the  story  as  given  by 
him  disagree  with  the  facts  as  they  stand  upon  record. 

The  "Remarkable  Passage  of  an  Apparition"  was  no 
invention  of  Defoe  ;  it  was  a  genuine  narrative  written 
by  the  hand  of  John  Ruddle  himself.  This  has  been 
conclusively  demonstrated  by  the  late  Mr.  Alfred 
Robbins  in  the  Cornish  Magazine,   1898. 

John  Ruddle,  M.A.  of  Caius  College,  Cambridge, 
was  instituted  to  the  vicarage  of  Altarnon  on  May 
24th,  1662  ;  and  the  incumbency  of  S.  Mary  Magdalen, 
Launceston,  becoming  vacant  by  the  ejection  of  the 
Independent  intrusive  pastor,  Ruddle  was  appointed 
to  it,  and  "began  his  ministry  at  Launceston  on  y^ 
Feast  of  Our  Saviour's  Nativity,  1663."  At  the  same 
time  he  received  the  appointment  to  the  Launceston 
Free  School  as  master. 

Now  it  so  fell  out  that  he  was  invited  on  the  20th 
June,  1665,  to  preach  a  funeral  sermon  on  the  occasion 
of  the  burial  of  John  Eliot  at  South  Petherwin.  John 
was  the  son  of  Edward  Eliot,  of  Trebursey,  who  was 
the  third  son  of  Sir  John  Eliot,  who  died  in  the  Tower 
of  London. 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  service,  Parson  Ruddle 
was  leaving  the  church,  when  an  "ancient  gentleman" 
addressed  him,  and.  Ruddle  says,  "With  an  unusual 
importunity  almost  forced  against  my  humour  to  see 
his  house  that  night ;  nor  could  I  have  rescued  myself 
from  his  kindness,  had  not  Mr.  Eliot  interposed  and 


74  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

pleaded  title  to  me  for  the  whole  of  the  day."  How- 
ever, Ruddle  promised  to  call  on  the  old  gentleman, 
whose  name  was  Bligh,  and  whose  house  was  Botathan. 

The  Blighs  were  an  ancient  family,  well  connected 
and  owning  a  good  estate,  but  Botathan  was  not  a 
house  of  any  pretence,  and  it  is  now  the  dwelling  of  a 
farmer,  and  has  not  the  appearance  of  having  been  the 
residence  of  a  county  family. 

On  the  following  Monday  John  Ruddle  went  to 
Botathan,  where  he  partook  of  an  early  dinner,  and 
a  neighbouring  parson  had  been  invited  to  meet 
him. 

"After  dinner  this  brother  of  the  coat  undertook  to 
show  me  the  gardens,  when,  as  I  was  walking,  he 
gave  me  the  first  discovery  of  what  was  mainly  in- 
tended in  all  this  treat  and  compliment.  First  he  began 
to  tell  the  infortunity  of  the  family  in  general,  and 
then  gave  an  instance  in  the  youngest  son.  He  re- 
lated what  a  hopeful,  sprightly  lad  he  lately  was,  and 
how  melancholic  and  sottish  he  was  now  grown.  Then 
did  he  with  much  passion  lament  that  his  ill-humour 
should  so  incredibly  subdue  his  reason  ;  for,  says  he, 
the  poor  boy  believes  himself  to  be  haunted  with 
ghosts,  and  is  confident  that  he  meets  with  an  evil 
spirit  in  a  certain  field  about  half  a  mile  from  this 
place  as  often  as  he  goes  that  way  to  school. 

*'  In  the  midst  of  our  twaddle  the  old  gentleman  and 
his  lady  came  up  to  us.  Upon  their  approach,  and 
pointing  me  to  the  arbour,  the  parson  renews  the  rela- 
tion to  me  ;  and  they  (the  parents  of  the  youth) 
confirmed  what  he  said,  and  added  many  minute  cir- 
cumstances. In  fine,  they  all  three  desired  my 
thoughts  and  advice  in  the  affair." 

Neither  the  parents  nor  the  parson  who  made  this 
communication    believed  that  the    boy  saw  anything; 


THE    BOTATHAN   GHOST  75 

they  shrewdly  suspected  that  he  was  lazy,  and  made 
the  apparition  an  excuse  for  not  going  to  school. 

Ruddle,  however,  saw  the  boy,  and  was  convinced  of 
his  sincerity.  "  He  told  me  with  all  naked  freedom, 
and  a  flood  of  tears,  that  his  friends  were  unkind  and 
unjust  to  him,  neither  to  believe  nor  pity  him  ;  and 
that  if  any  man  (making  a  bow  to  me)  would  but  go 
with  him  to  the  place,  he  might  be  convinced  that  the 
thing  was  real. 

'''This  woman  which  appears  to  me,'  saith  he, 
'lived  a  neighbour  here  to  my  father,  and  died  about 
eight  years  since  ;  her  name,  Dorothy  Dingley.  She 
never  speaks  to  me,  but  passeth  by  hastily,  and  always 
leaves  the  footpath  to  me,  and  she  commonly  meets  me 
twice  or  three  times  in  the  breadth  of  the  field. 

"  '  It  was  about  two  months  before  I  took  notice  of  it, 
and  though  the  shape  of  the  face  was  in  my  memory, 
yet  I  did  not  recall  the  name  of  the  person,  but  I  did 
suppose  it  was  some  woman  who  lived  there  about,  and 
had  frequent  occasion  that  way.  Nor  did  I  imagine 
anything  to  the  contrary  before  she  began  to  meet  me 
constantly,  morning  and  evening,  and  always  in  the 
same  field  (the  Higher  Brown  Quartils),  and  some- 
times twice  or  thrice  in  the  breadth  of  it. 

"'The  first  time  I  took  notice  of  her  was  about 
a  year  since,  and  when  I  first  began  to  suspect  it  to  be 
a  ghost,  I  had  courage  enough  not  to  be  afraid,  but 
kept  it  to  myself  a  good  while,  and  only  wondered  very 
much  about  it.  I  did  often  speak  to  it,  but  never  had 
a  word  in  answer.  Then  I  changed  my  way,  and  went 
to  school  the  under  Horse  Road,  and  then  she  always 
met  me  in  the  narrow  lane,  between  the  Quarry  Park 
and  the  Nursery,  which  was  worse.  At  length  I  began 
to  be  terrified  at  it,  and  prayed  continually  that  God 
would  either  free  me  from  it  or  let  me  know  the  mean- 


76  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

ing  of  it.  Night  and  day,  sleeping  and  waking,  the 
shape  was  ever  running  in  my  mind,  when,  by 
degrees,  I  grew  pensive,  inasmuch  that  it  was  taken 
notice  of  by  all  our  family  ;  whereupon,  being  urged 
to  it,  I  told  my  brother  William  of  it,  and  he  privately 
acquainted  my  father  and  mother,  and  they  kept  it  to 
themselves  for  some  time. 

"  '  The  success  of  this  discovery  was  only  this  :  they 
did  sometimes  laugh  at  me,  sometimes  chide  me,  but 
still  commanded  me  to  keep  to  my  school,  and  put  such 
fopperies  out  of  my  head.  I  did  accordingly  go  to 
school  often,  but  always  met  the  woman  by  the  way.'  " 

When  Parson  Ruddle  had  heard  this  story  he  pro- 
mised the  boy  to  go  with  him  next  morning  to  the  field, 
and  went  with  the  lad  to  the  hall,  whither  the  parents 
and  the  parson,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Williams,  came  to 
meet  them  from  the  parlour.  They  began  at  once  to 
importune  Ruddle  about  the  interview  and  to  pass 
remarks  on  the  boy,  who  fled  from  them  to  his  own 
room.  The  vicar  of  Launceston  begged  them  to  re- 
strain their  curiosity  till  he  had  made  further  investiga- 
tion into  the  matter. 

"The  next  morning,  before  five  o'clock,  the  lad  was 
in  my  chambers,  and  very  brisk.  I  arose  and  went 
with  him.  The  field  he  led  me  to  I  guessed  to  be 
twenty  acres,  in  an  open  country,  and  about  three  fur- 
longs from  any  house.  We  went  into  the  field,  and 
had  not  gone  above  a  third  part  before  the  spectrum,  in 
the  shape  of  a  woman,  with  all  the  circumstances  he 
had  described  her  to  me  the  day  before,  met  us  and 
passed  by.  I  was  a  little  surprised  at  it,  and  though  I 
had  taken  up  a  firm  resolution  to  speak  to  it,  yet  I  had 
not  the  power,  nor  indeed  durst  I  look  back  ;  yet  I  took 
care  not  to  show  any  fear  to  my  pupil  and  guide,  and 
therefore  telling  him  that  I  was  satisfied  in  the  truth  of 


THE    BOTATHAN   GHOST  77 

-  his  complaint,  we  walked  to  the  end  of  the  field  and  re- 
turned, nor  did  the  ghost  meet  us  that  time  above 
once. 

**At  our  return  the  gentlewoman  watched  to  speak 
with  me.  I  gave  her  a  convenience,  and  told  her  that 
my  opinion  was  that  her  son's  complaint  was  not  to  be 
slighted,  yet  that  my  judgment  in  his  case  was  not 
settled.  I  gave  her  caution  that  the  thing  might  not 
take  wind,  lest  the  whole  country  should  ring  with  what 
we  had  yet  no  assurance  of. 

'*  In  this  juncture  of  time  I  had  business  which 
would  admit  no  delay,  wherefore  I  went  to  Launceston 
that  evening,  but  promised  to  see  them  again  next 
week.  Yet  I  was  prevented  by  an  occasion  which 
pleaded  a  sufficient  excuse.  However,  my  mind  was 
upon  the  adventure.  I  studied  the  case,  and  about 
three  weeks  after  went  again,  resolving,  by  the  help  of 
God,  to  see  the  utmost. 

"The  next  morning,  the  27th  day  of  July,  1665,  I 
went  to  the  haunted  field  by  myself,  and  walked  the 
breadth  of  the  field  without  any  encounter.  I  returned 
and  took  the  other  walk,  and  then  the  spectrum  ap- 
peared to  me,  much  about  the  same  place  where  I  saw 
it  before,  when  the  young  gentleman  was  with  me.  In 
my  thoughts  it  moved  swifter  than  the  time  before,  and 
about  ten  feet  distant  from  me  on  my  right  hand,  inso- 
much that  I  had  not  time  to  speak,  as  I  had  determined 
with  myself  beforehand. 

"The  evening  of  this  day,  the  parents,  the  son,  and 
myself  being  in  the  chamber  where  I  lay,  I  pro- 
pounded to  them  our  going  all  together  to  the  place  next 
morning,  and  after  some  asseveration  that  there  was 
no  danger  in  it,  we  all  resolved  upon  it.  The  morning 
being  come,  lest  we  should  alarm  the  servants,  they 
went  under  the  pretence  of  seeing  a  field  of  wheat,  and 


78  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

I  took  my  horse  and  fetched  a  compass  another  way, 
and  so  met  at  the  stile  we  had  appointed. 

**  Thence  we  all  four  walked  leisurely  into  the 
Quartils,  and  had  passed  above  half  the  field  before 
the  ghost  made  appearance.  It  then  came  over  the 
stile  just  before  us,  and  moved  with  that  swiftness  that 
by  the  time  we  had  gone  six  or  seven  steps  it  passed 
by.  I  immediately  turned  head  and  ran  after  it,  with 
the  young  man  by  my  side  ;  we  saw  it  pass  over  the 
stile  by  which  we  entered,  but  no  farther.  I  stepped 
upon  the  hedge  at  one  place,  he  at  another,  but  could 
discern  nothing  ;  whereas  I  dare  aver  that  the  swiftest 
horse  in  England  could  not  have  conveyed  himself  out 
of  sight  in  that  short  space  of  time.  Two  things  I 
observed  in  this  day's  appearance,  (i)  That  a  spaniel 
dog,  who  followed  the  company  unregarded,  did  bark 
and  run  away  as  the  spectrum  passed  by  ;  whence  it  is 
easy  to  conclude  that  it  was  not  our  fear  or  fancy  which 
made  the  apparition.  (2)  That  the  motion  of  the 
spectrum  was  not  by  steps  and  moving  of  the  feet,  but 
a  kind  of  gliding,  as  children  upon  ice  or  a  boat  down 
a  swift  river. 

"  But  to  proceed.  This  ocular  evidence  clearly  con- 
vinced, but  strangely  frightened,  the  old  gentleman  and 
his  wife,  who  knew  this  Dorothy  Dingley  in  her  life- 
time, were  at  her  burial,  and  now  plainly  saw  her 
features  in  this  present  apparition. 

"The  next  morning,  being  Thursday,  I  went  out 
very  early  by  myself,  and  walked  for  about  an  hour's 
space  in  meditation  and  prayer  in  the  field  next  adjoin- 
ing the  Quartils.  Soon  after  five  I  stepped  over  the 
stile  into  the  disturbed  field,  and  had  not  gone  above 
thirty  or  forty  paces  before  the  ghost  appeared  at  the 
farther  stile.  I  spake  to  it  with  a  loud  voice,  where- 
upon it  approached,  but  slowly,  and  when  I  came  near 


THE    BOTATHAN   GHOST  79 

it  moved  not.  I  spake  again,  and  it  answered,  in  a 
voice  neither  very  audible  nor  intelligible.  I  was  not 
in  the  least  terrified,  and  therefore  persisted  until  it 
spake  again  and  gave  me  satisfaction.  But  the  work 
could  not  be  finished  at  this  time  ;  wherefore  the  same 
evening,  an  hour  after  sunset,  it  met  me  again  near 
the  same  place,  and  after  a  few  words  on  each  side  it 
quickly  vanished,  and  neither  doth  appear  since,  nor 
ever  will  more  to  any  man's  disturbance.  The  discourse 
in  the  morning  lasted  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

'*  These  things  are  true,  and  I  know  them  to  be  so, 
with  as  much  certainty  as  eyes  and  ears  can  give  me  ; 
and  until  I  can  be  persuaded  that  my  senses  do  deceive 
me  about  their  proper  object,  and  by  that  persuasion 
deprive  myself  of  the  strongest  inducement  to  believe 
the  Christian  religion,  I  must  and  will  assert  that  these 
things  in  this  paper  are  true." 

It  must  be  noted  that  Defoe  in  his  printed  account 
omits  the  names  of  the  family  of  Bligh,  and  that  he 
changes  Dorothy  Dingley  into  Mrs.  Veale.  Parson 
Ruddle's  original  MS.  is  not  in  existence ;  it  was 
probably  given  to  Defoe;  but  a  copy  is  preserved  made 
by  the  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Ruddle.  Defoe  was  in 
Launceston  acting  as  a  spy  for  the  minister  Harley  in 
August,  1705,  and  at  that  time  he  must  have  got  hold  of 
the  MS.  After  the  signature  "John  Ruddle  "  at  the 
end  of  the  narrative  and  the  date  is  the  sentence : 
''This  is  a  copy  of  w*^  I  found  written  by  my 
father  and  signed  John  Ruddle.  Taken  by  me, 
William  Ruddle,"  who  had  become  vicar  of  South 
Petherwin  in  1695,  and  who  became  subsequently  in- 
cumbent also  of  S.  Thomas-by-Launceston.  This 
copy  bears  the  following  attestation:  "The  readers 
may  observe  y'^  I  borrowed  the  remarkable  passage  of 
y®  grandson  of  John  Ruddle  who  had  it  from  his  Uncle 


8o  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

William  Ruddle.  I  think  I'm  exact  in  its  transcription. 
I  well  know  the  s'^  John  Ruddle  to  have  had  (and  I 
daresay  deserved)  the  character  of  a  learned  and  emi- 
nent Divine,  and  I  also  knew  his  son  y^  sayd  William 
Ruddle,  a  Divine  whose  character  was  so  bright  y*  I 
have  no  room  to  add  to  its  lustre,  and  I  hereby  certify 
y*  I  copyed  this  from  y^  very  hand-writing  of  the  sayd 
William  Ruddle.  Qtimto  die  Fehruarii  Anno  Dni, 
1730,    James  Wakeman." 

As  Mr.  Robbins  says:  "The  completeness  of  the 
body  of  proof  of  the  Ruddle  authorship  leaves  nothing 
therefore  to  be  desired." 

Parson  John  Ruddle  eventually  became  prebend  of 
Exeter,  and  held  the  vicarage  of  Altarnon  along  with 
that  of  Launceston  to  his  death. 

Ruddle  does  not  state  that  the  boy  Bligh  was  his 
pupil  at  Launceston  Free  School,  but  one  does  not  see 
to  what  other  school  he  can  have  gone,  and  the  readi- 
ness with  which  the  lad  opened  his  heart  to  him  leads 
to  the  notion  that  they  had  some  previous  acquaintance. 
His  way  to  Launceston  would  be  over  the  common,  on 
which  stand  three  barrows,  to  the  road  at  Penfoot,  where 
he  would  strike  the  road.  When  he  endeavoured  to 
avoid  the  ghost  he  took  the  Under  Horse  Road  between 
Quarry  Park  and  the  Nursery.  The  Quarry  is  still 
visible  with  a  pool  in  it,  and  a  stream  flowing  into  it 
that  rises  on  the  moor  where  he  saw  the  ghost,  and 
Under  Horse  Road  still  bears  its  name.  The  lad  en- 
deavoured to  take  a  short  cut,  though  not  as  short  as 
across  the  Higher  Brown  Quartils,  to  reach  the 
Launceston  road  without  having  to  go  through  South 
Petherwin  village. 

Parson  Ruddle  does  not  give  the  Christian  name  of 
the  boy  who  saw  the  ghost,  and  we  are  thrown  into 
perplexity  at  once. 


THE    BOTATHAN   GHOST  8i 

The  ''ancient  gentleman"  may  have  been  Thomas 
Bligh  of  Botathan,  Esq.,  but  he  was  aged  no  more 
than  fifty-three.  Colonel  Vivian's  pedigree  of  the 
Blighs  in  his  Visitation  of  Cornwall  is  most  unsatisfac- 
tory. 

Thomas  Bligh  was  buried  at  South  Petherwin,  April 
loth,  1692.  There  is  no  entry  in  Vivian's  pedigree  of 
Walter  Bligh,  gentleman,  who  was  buried  January  29th, 
1667-8.  Besides,  there  are  many  entries  of  an  Edmund 
Bligh  and  Katherine,  his  wife,  and  their  children. 
Thomas  Bligh  seems  to  have  lived  at  one  time  at  S. 
Martin's-by-Looe.  Dr.  Lee  in  his  Glimpses  of  the 
Supernatural  calls  Dorothy  Dingley,  Dorothy  Durant  ; 
but  on  what  authority  I  do  not  know.  There  is  an 
entry  in  the  South  Petherwin  register  of  the  burial  of 
Dorothy  Durant,  widow,  ist  May,  1677,  but  according  to 
the  story  of  the  boy,  Dorothy  Dingley  died  in  or  about 
1657.  Unfortunately  the  South  Petherwin  registers  do 
not  go  back  beyond  August,  1656,  but  there  is  no  entry  in 
them  in  1656  or  1657  of  the  burial  of  Dorothy  Dingley. 

The  Dingleys  had  been  settled  in  Lezantand  Linkin- 
horne  from  1577,  and  owned  the  place  Hall  in  the  latter 
parish;  but  they  had  connections  in  Worcestershire; 
and  Dorothy  was  the  youngest  daughter  of  Francis 
Dingley,  baptized  at  Cropthorne,  in  the  latter  county,  in 
1596.  She  married  Richard,  son  of  George  Durant,  of 
Blockly,  Worcestershire.  As  no  further  trace  of  her 
can  be  found  in  the  register  there,  it  is  not  unfair  to 
suppose  that  having  kinsfolk  in  Cornwall  she  may  have 
journeyed  there,  and  both  were  buried  at  South  Pether- 
win, Dorothy  Durant,  as  already  stated,  in  1677.  She 
was  then  aged  eighty-seven.  She  cannot  have  been  the 
ghost.  But  was  the  ghost  that  of  her  mother,  a 
Dorothy,  who  came  to  South  Petherwin  with  her,  and 
died  there  about  the  year  1655?     We  cannot  tell,  as  we 

G 


82  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

do  not  know  her  mother's  Christian  name.  Dr.  Lee 
clearly  confused  the  Dorothy  Durant  with  the  Dorothy 
Dingley,  the  ghost. 

The  Rev.  P.  T.  Pulman,  vicar  of  South  Petherwin, 
writes  to  me:  "In  December,  1896,  a  labourer  died 
here,  aged  seventy-two.  For  upwards  of  forty  years  he 
had  worked  at  Botathan.  He  told  me  that  one  of  the 
fields  was  called  the  Higher  Brown  Park  (he  did  not 
know  the  name  of  Quartells)  until  the  field  was  ploughed 
up.  He  told  me  there  was  a  little  path  in  it  which  they 
called  old  Dorothy  Dinglet's  [sic]  path,  and  that  they 
used  to  frighten  the  farm  apprentices  with  stories  about 
her,  but  he  had  never  met  her  himself.  The  farm  has 
been  sold  of  recent  years.  There  is  a  part  of  the  old 
house  left  used  for  a  cider  cellar.  They  call  it  Dorothy 
Dingley's  chamber." 

The  Rev.  James  Dingley  was  vicar  of  South  Pether- 
win from  1682  until  1695.  He  was  born  1655,  just  ten 
years  before  the  apparition  was  seen  by  young  Bligh. 

Authorities  :  A.  Robbins,  ''  A  Cornish  Ghost  Story," 
in  the  Cornish  Magazine,  1898  ;  A.  Robbins,  Launces- 
ton  Past  and  Present j  1889.  The  portrait  of  the  Rev. 
John  Ruddle  is  in  my  possession.  The  descendants  of 
Parson  Ruddle  or  Rudall  are  still  on  the  land,  but  are 
in  a  humble  condition. 


JOHN  COUCH  ADAMS, 
ASTRONOMER 

THOMAS  ADAMS  was  a  small  tenant  farmer 
in  the  parish  of  Laneast,  at  Lidcott,  renting 
under  John  King  Lethbridge,  Esq.,  of  Tre- 
geare,  in  Laneast.  He  married  Tabitha 
Knill  Grylls,  of  Stoke  Climsland,  who  inherited  a  very 
little  land  in  this  latter  parish. 

Laneast  lies  on  the  Inny  River — that  is  to  say,  the 
village  with  its  church  occupies  the  southern  slope  of 
Laneast  Down  that  falls  to  this  beautiful  stream.  But 
Lidcott  lies  on  the  north  side  of  the  down,  that  rises  to 
eight  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  one  long  swelling 
mass  of  moor  brown  with  heather,  save  when  in  August 
it  blushes  like  a  modest  girl,  the  heather  all  a-rose  with 
flower. 

For  three  miles  the  highway  from  Camelford  to 
Launceston  crosses  this  moor,  one  white  strip  drawn 
through  a  mass  of  umber.  At  night  the  sheep  that 
grazed  on  the  down  would  lie  on  the  warm  road,  and 
many  a  time  have  the  coach-horses  stumbled  over  them 
in  the  night. 

On  this  road,  about  the  year  546,  S.  Samson  was  pur- 
suing his  way  from  Padstow,  where  he  had  landed,  to 
Southill.  He  had  with  him  a  wagon  drawn  by  horses 
he  had  brought  with  him  from  Ireland,  and  as  he  pro- 
ceeded over  the  down  he  was  aware  of  music  and 
dancing  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road  in  the  direc- 

83 


84  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

tion  of  Tregeare,  and  he  found  that  the  heathen  people 
were  having  a  festival  about  a  rude  upright  stone.  He 
stopped,  harangued  them,  condemned  their  idolatrous 
practice,  and  with  his  own  hand  cut  a  cross  upon  the 
stone. 

It  is  possible  that  this  is  the  very  rude  stone  cross 
that  still  stands  on  the  slope  of  the  moor  above  Lidcott. 

John  Couch,  son  of  Thomas  Adams  and  Tabitha, 
was  born  at  Lidcott  on  5th  January,  1819,  but  no  notice 
of  his  baptism  occurs  in  the  parish  register  at  Laneast. 
Possibly  he  may  have  been  taken  to  Egloskerry. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  a  dame's  school  in 
his  native  parish  ;  but  was  early  employed  by  his  father 
to  tend  the  sheep  on  Laneast  Down.  It  was  then  and 
there,  on  that  great  upland  stretch  of  moor,  with  a  vast 
horizon  about  him,  that,  lying  in  the  heather  and  look- 
ing up  into  the  sky,  the  mystery  of  the  heavenly  firma- 
ment laid  hold  of  him.  He  soon  learned  to  distinguish 
the  planets  from  the  fixed  stars  ;  he  watched  the  rising 
and  the  setting  of  the  constellations,  Charles's  Wain 
revolving  nightly  about  the  extremest  star  in  what  he 
called  the  tail  of  the  Plough  ;  Orion  with  his  twinkling 
belt  and  curved  sword,  "  louting  on  one  knee." 

To  the  west  and  south  stood  up  against  the  evening 
glow  the  ridge  of  the  Bodmin  Moors,  Brown  Willy, 
Rough  Tor,  Kilmar,  and  Caradon.  To  the  north 
nothing  interrupted  the  view,  for  there  lay  the  vast 
Atlantic  ;  and  on  stormy  nights  the  boom  of  its  waves 
might  be  heard  from  that  highway  over  the  down.  To 
the  east  and  south-east  the  far-off  range  of  Dartmoor, 
blue  as  a  vein  in  a  girl's  temple,  on  a  summer  day. 

Many  a  chiding  did  John  Couch  get  from  his  father 
for  being  out  late  at  night  upon  the  moor ;  the  old 
farmer  was  unable  to  understand  what  the  attraction 
was  which  drew  the  lad  from  home  and  from  his  supper. 


from  the  collection  of  Mrs.  Lewis  Lane 


JOHN  COUCH  ADAMS,  ASTRONOMER  85 

to  be  out,  either  lying  on  the  road  or  leaning  against 
the  old  granite  cross,  star-gazing.  Happily  Mrs.  Adams 
had  a  simple  book  on  astronomy  that  had  belonged  to 
her  father,  and  this  her  son  Jack  devoured,  and  now  he 
began  to  understand  something  of  the  motions  of  the 
heavenly  bodies.  He  established  a  sundial  on  the 
window-sill  of  the  parlour,  and  constructed  out  of 
cardboard  an  apparatus  for  taking  the  altitude  of  the  sun. 

His  father,  finding  that  his  inclinations  were  not  for 
farm  work,  sent  him  to  study  with  a  relative  of  his 
mother,  the  Rev.  P.  Couch  Grylls,  who  had  a  school 
at  Devonport,  but  later  moved  to  Saltash.  All  his 
spare  time  John  Couch  spent  in  reading  astronomical 
works,  which  he  obtained  from  the  library  of  the 
Mechanics'  Institute  ;  he  drew  maps  of  constellations 
and  computed  celestial  phenomena.  A  day  long  to  be 
remembered  by  him  as  one  of  the  happiest  in  his  life 
was  that  in  which  he  obtained  a  look  through  a  tele- 
scope at  the  moon.  "Why,"  he  exclaimed,  "they 
have  Brown  Willy  and  Rough  Tor  up  there  ! " 

His  account  of  a  solar  eclipse  viewed  at  Devonport 
through  a  small  spyglass  got  into  print  in  a  London 
paper.  After  three  weeks'  watching  he  caught  sight 
of  Halley's  Comet  on  i6th  October,  1839. 

His  father  now  with  considerable  effort  arranged  to 
send  him  to  the  University  of  Cambridge,  and  he 
entered  S.  John's  College  as  a  poor  sizar  in  October, 
1839  ;  he  graduated  as  Senior  Wrangler  in  1843,  and 
was  first  Smith's  prizeman,  and  soon  elected  Fellow  and 
appointed  tutor  of  his  college. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  was  struck  with  the  dis- 
turbance in  the  course  of  the  planet  Uranus,  and  he 
perceived  that  this  must  be  due  to  the  attraction  pos- 
sessed by  some  other  planet,  as  yet  unseen  and  un- 
suspected, that   produced    these    perturbations.     How 


86  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

this  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  planet  Neptune  shall 
be  told  from  the  Reminiscences  of  Caroline  Fox  : — 

*'  1847,  October  7th. — Dined  at  Carclew,  and  spent  a 
very  interesting  evening.  We  met  Professor  Adams, 
the  Bullers,  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  and  others.  Adams  is 
a  quiet-looking  man,  with  a  broad  forehead,  a  mild  face, 
and  an  amiable  and  expressive  mouth.  I  sat  by  him  at 
dinner,  and  by  general  and  dainty  approaches  got  at  the 
subject  on  which  one  most  wished  to  hear  him  speak. 
He  began  very  blushingly,  but  went  on  to  talk  in  most 
delightful  fashion,  with  large  and  luminous  simplicity, 
of  some  of  the  vast  mathematical  facts  with  which  he  is 
so  conversant.  The  idea  of  the  reversed  method  of 
reasoning,  from  an  unknown  to  a  known,  with  refer- 
ence to  astronomical  problems  dawned  on  him  when 
an  undergraduate,  with  neither  time  nor  mathematics 
to  work  it  out.  The  opposite  system  had  always  before 
been  adopted.  He,  in  common  with  many  others, 
conceived  that  there  must  be  a  planet  to  account  for  the 
disturbances  of  Uranus;  and  when  he  had  time  he  set  to 
work  at  the  process,  in  deep,  quiet  faith  that  the  fact  was 
there,  and  that  his  hitherto  untried  mathematical  path 
was  the  one  which  must  reach  it ;  that  there  were  no 
anomalies  in  the  universe,  but  that,  even  here,  and  now, 
they  could  be  explained  and  included  in  a  higher  law. 
The  delight  of  working  it  out  was  far  more  than  any 
notoriety  could  give,  for  his  love  of  pure  truth  is  evi- 
dently intense,  an  inward  necessity,  unaffected  by  all 
the  penny  trumpets  of  the  world.  Well,  at  length  he 
fixed  his  point  in  space,  and  sent  his  mathematical 
evidence  to  Airy,  the  Astronomer  Royal,  who  locked  the 
papers  up  in  his  desk,  partly  from  carelessness,  partly 
from  incredulity,  for  it  seemed  to  him  impossible  that 
a  man  whose  name  was  unknown  to  him  should  strike 
out  a  new  path  in  mathematical  science  with  any  sue- 


JOHN  COUCH  ADAMS,  ASTRONOMER  87 

cess.  Moreover,  his  theory  was,  that  if  there  were  a 
planet,  it  would  not  be  discovered  for  one  hundred  and 
sixty  years;  that  is,  until  two  revolutions  of  Uranus 
had  been  accomplished.  Then  came  Leverrier's  equally 
original,  though  many  months  younger,  demonstra- 
tion ;  Gull's  immediate  verification  of  it  by  observa- 
tion ;  and  then  the  other  astronomers  were  all  astir. 
Professor  Adams  speaks  of  those  about  whom  the  Eng- 
lish scientific  world  is  so  indignant  in  a  spirit  of  Chris- 
tian philosophy,  exactly  in  keeping  with  the  mind  of  a 
man  who  has  discovered  a  planet.  He  speaks  with 
warmest  admiration  of  Leverrier,  specially  of  his  ex- 
haustive method  of  making  out  the  orbits  of  the  comets, 
imagining  and  disproving  all  tracks  but  the  right  one — 
a  work  of  infinite  labour.  If  the  observer  could  make 
out  distinctly  but  a  very  small  part  of  a  comet's  orbit, 
the  mathematician  would  be  able  to  prove  what  its 
course  had  been  through  all  time.  They  enjoyed  being 
a  good  deal  together  at  the  British  Association  Meet- 
ing at  Oxford,  though  it  was  unfortunate  for  the  inter- 
course of  the  fellow-workers  that  one  could  not  speak 
French  nor  the  other  English.  He  had  met  with  very 
little  mathematical  sympathy,  except  from  Challis,  of 
the  Cambridge  Observatory  ;  but  when  his  result  was 
announced  there  was  noise  enough  and  to  spare.  He 
was  always  fond  of  star-gazing  and  speculation,  and  is 
already  on  the  watch  for  another  planet.  Burnard  told 
us  that  when  Professor  Adams  came  from  Cambridge 
to  visit  his  relatives  in  Cornwall  he  was  employed  to 
sell  sheep  for  his  father  at  a  fair.  He  is  a  most  good 
son  and  neighbour,  and  watchful  in  the  performance  of 
small  acts  of  thoughtful  kindness." 

'*  1863,  July  2nd. — Have  just  returned  from  a  visit  to 
Professor  Adams  at  Cambridge.  He  is  so  delightful 
in  the  intervals  of  business,  enjoying  all  things,  large 


88  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

and  small,  with  a  boyish  zest.  He  showed  and  ex- 
plained the  calculating  machine  (French,  not  Bab- 
bage's),  which  saves  him  much  in  time  and  brain,  as  it 
can  multiply  or  divide  ten  figures  accurately.  We 
came  upon  an  admirable  portrait  of  him  at  S.  John's 
College,  before  he  accepted  a  Pembroke  Fellowship  and 
migrated  thither." 

The  first  mention  of  the  name  of  Adams  as  the  dis- 
coverer of  Neptune  was  by  Sir  John  Herschel,  in  the 
Athenceum,  on  October  3rd,  1845.  And  a  letter  from 
Professor  Challis  to  that  journal  on  17th  October 
described  in  detail  the  transactions  between  Adams, 
Airy,  and  himself.  Naturally  enough  the  French  were 
highly  incensed  at  the  notion  that  an  obscure  English- 
man had  forestalled  Leverrier  in  the  discovery,  and 
Airy  himself  was  annoyed  at  his  own  negligence  in 
not  looking  into  the  memoir  by  Adams,  and  took  up  the 
matter  with  some  personal  feeling.  It  was  certainly 
startling  to  realize  that  the  Astronomer  Royal  had  had 
in  his  possession  data  that  would  have  enabled  the 
planet  to  be  discovered  nearly  a  year  before  Leverrier 
had,  by  a  different  course  of  argument  and  calculation, 
arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  there  existed  a  planet 
which  was  the  disturbing  element  in  the  orbit  of  Uranus. 
As  to  Adams  himself,  he  had  not  a  particle  of  conceit 
and  pride  in  him  ;  he  did  not  care  to  have  his  name 
proclaimed  as  the  discoverer.  Forty  years  later,  he 
said  simply  and  characteristically  that  all  he  had  wished 
for  was  that  English  astronomers  to  whom  he  had  com- 
municated the  result  of  his  calculations,  pointing  out 
the  precise  spot  in  the  sky  where  a  planet  was  to  be 
found,  would  have  taken  the  trouble  to  turn  their  tele- 
scopes upon  that  point  and  discover  the  planet,  so 
that  England  might  have  had  the  full  credit  of  the 
discovery. 


JOHANNIS   COVCH  ADAMS 


JOHN  COUCH  ADAMS,  ASTRONOMER    89 

His  long -suppressed  investigation  was  not  laid 
before  the  Royal  Astronomical  Society  till  November 
13th,  1846. 

The  publication,  of  course,  stirred  up  much  con- 
troversy, and  the  scientific  world  was  divided  into 
Adamite  and  anti-Adamite  factions. 

Adams  refused  knighthood  in  1847,  and  declined 
the  office  of  Astronomer  Royal  on  Airy's  retirement  in 
1881. 

John  Couch  had  a  brother,  William  Grylls,  also  a 
man  of  some  eminence  in  the  scientific  world.  He 
was  born  at  Lidcott  12th  February,  1836,  and  became 
Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy  and  of  Astronomy  in 
King's  College,  London. 

I  was  wont,  when  at  Cambridge,  to  meet  John  Couch 
Adams  at  Professor  Challis',  and  also  at  the  house  of 
the  Rev.  Harvey  Goodwin,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Carlisle. 
Professor  Adams  took  some  notice  of  me,  as  coming  from 
his  neighbourhood,  though  not  on  the  Cornish  side  of 
the  Tamar.  He  was  a  small  man,  as  simple  as  a  child  in 
many  things.  Indeed,  he  struck  me  forcibly  by  his 
great  modesty  and  sweetness  of  manner.  He  loved  a 
joke,  and  would  laugh  heartily  over  the  very  smallest. 
He  loved  children,  and  would  play  with  them  in  their 
little  games  with  infinite  zest.  Professor  Glaisher, 
whom  I  also  knew,  wrote  of  him:  "Adams  was  a 
man  of  learning  as  well  as  a  man  of  science.  He  was 
an  omnivorous  reader,  and  his  memory  was  exact  and 
retentive.  There  were  few  subjects  upon  which  he  was 
not  possessed  of  accurate  information.  Botany,  geology, 
history,  and  divinity,  all  had  their  share  of  his  care  and 
attention." 

He  was  always  happy  to  return  to  his  humble 
father's  farm  ;  and  after  he  was  a  noted  man,  on  one  of 
these  occasions  the  old  man  sent  him  into  Launceston 


90  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

with  a  drove  of  sheep  to  sell  them  in  the  market.  He 
complied  cheerfully,  but  how  he  succeeded  in  selling 
them  I  have  not  heard.  This  is  the  incident  alluded  to 
by  Caroline  Fox  given  above. 

"The  honours  showered  upon  him,"  wrote  Dr. 
Donald  MacAlister,  'Meft  him  as  they  found  him — 
modest,  gentle,  and  sincere."  He  was  not  a  man  who 
ever  asserted  himself. 

He  married  in  1863  Eliza,  daughter  of  Haliday 
Bruce,  of  Dublin.  He  died  of  a  sudden  illness  on 
January  21st,  1892,  and  was  buried  in  S.  Giles'  Church- 
yard, Cambridge. 

Portraits  were  taken  of  him  by  Mogford  in  185 1, 
and  by  Herkomer  in  1888  ;  both  are  in  the  Combination- 
room  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge. 

A  biographical  notice  of  him  was  prefixed  by  Pro- 
fessor Glaisher  to  his  scientific  works,  edited  by 
W.  G.  Adams,  in   1896-8. 

See  also  A.  De  Morgan's  Budget  of  Paradoxes ^  1872, 
and  the  Mechanics'  Magazine ,  1846. 


DANIEL    GUMB 

jA  LL  that  is  really  known  of  this  eccentric  char- 
/%        acter  is  found  in  a  letter  of  J.  B.  to  Richard 

r — ^  Polwhele,  dated  September,  1814.  His 
-^       -^-   correspondent  says  : — 

"  Daniel  Gumb  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Linkinhorne, 
in  Cornwall,  about  the  commencement  of  the  last 
century,  and  was  bred  a  stone-cutter.  In  the  early 
part  of  his  life  he  was  remarkable  for  his  love  of  read- 
ing and  a  degree  of  reserve  even  exceeding  what  is 
observable  in  persons  of  studious  habits.  By  close 
application  Daniel  acquired,  even  in  his  youth,  a  con- 
siderable stock  of  mathematical  knowledge,  and,  in 
consequence,  became  celebrated  throughout  the  adjoin- 
ing parishes.  Called  by  his  occupation  to  hew  blocks 
of  granite  on  the  neighbouring  commons,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  vicinity  of  that  great  natural  curiosity 
called  the  Cheesewring,  he  discovered  near  this  spot 
an  immense  block,  whose  upper  surface  was  an  in- 
clined plane.  This,  it  struck  him,  might  be  made  the 
roof  of  a  habitation  such  as  he  desired  ;  sufficiently 
secluded  from  the  busy  haunts  of  men  to  enable  him  to 
pursue  his  studies  without  interruption,  whilst  it  was 
contiguous  to  the  scene  of  his  daily  labour.  Imme- 
diately Daniel  went  to  work,  and  cautiously  excavating 
the  earth  underneath,  to  nearly  the  extent  of  the  stone 
above,  he  obtained  a  habitation  which  he  thought 
sufficiently  commodious.  The  sides  he  lined  with 
stone,  cemented  with  lime,  whilst  a  chimney  was  made 

91 


92  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

by  perforating  the  earth  at  one  side  of  the  roof.  From 
the  elevated  spot  on  which  stood  this  extraordinary 
dwelHng  could  be  seen  Dartmoor  and  Exmoor  on  the 
east,  Hartland  on  the  north,  the  sea  and  the  port  of 
Plymouth  on  the  south,  and  S.  Austell  and  Bodmin  Hills 
on  the  west,  with  all  the  intermediate  beautiful  scenery. 
The  top  of  the  rock  which  roofed  his  house  served 
Daniel  for  an  observatory,  where  at  every  favourable 
opportunity  he  watched  the  motions  of  the  heavenly 
bodies,  and  on  the  surface  of  which,  with  his  chisel,  he 
carved  a  variety  of  diagrams,  illustrative  of  the  most 
difficult  problems  of  Euclid,  etc.  These  he  left  behind 
him  as  evidences  of  the  patience  and  ingenuity  with 
which  he  surmounted  the  obstacles  that  his  station  in 
life  had  placed  in  the  way  of  his  mental  improvement. 

"  But  the  choice  of  his  house  and  the  mode  in  which 
he  pursued  his  studies  were  not  his  only  eccentricities. 
His  house  became  his  chapel  also  ;  and  he  was  never 
known  to  descend  from  the  craggy  mountain  on  which 
it  stood,  to  attend  his  parish  church  or  any  other  place 
of  worship. 

"  Death,  which  alike  seizes  on  the  philosopher  and 
the  fool,  at  length  found  out  the  retreat  of  Daniel  Gumb, 
and  lodged  him  in  a  house  more  narrow  than  that  which 
he  had  dug  for  himself." 

Bond  in  his  Topographical  and  Historical  Sketches  of 
the  Boroughs  of  East  a?id  West  Looe,  1873,  describes  the 
habitation  of  Daniel  Gumb  as  seen  by  him  in  1802: — 

''When  we  reached  Cheesewring — our  guide  first 
led  us  to  the  house  of  Daniel  Gumb  (a  stone-cutter), 
cut  by  him  out  of  a  solid  rock  of  granite.  This  artificial 
cavern  may  be  about  twelve  feet  deep  and  not  quite  so 
broad  ;  the  roof  consists  of  one  flat  stone  of  many  tons 
weight ;  supported  by  the  natural  rock  on  one  side, 
and    by   pillars   of  small   stones   on  the  other.     How 


DANIEL   GUMB  93 

Gumb  formed  this  last  support  is  not  easily  conceived. 
We  entered  with  hesitation  lest  the  covering  should  be 
our  gravestone.  On  the  right-hand  side  of  the  door 
is  '  D.  Gumb,'  with  a  date  engraved  1735  (or  3).  On 
the  upper  part  of  the  covering  stone,  channels  are  cut 
to  carry  off  the  rain,  probably  to  cause  it  to  fall  into 
a  bucket  for  his  use  ;  there  is  also  engraved  on  it  some 
geometrical  device  formed  by  Gumb,  as  the  guide  told 
us,  who  also  said  that  Gumb  was  accounted  a  pretty 
sensible  man.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  he  must 
have  been  a  pretty  eccentric  character  to  have  fixed  on 
this  place  for  his  habitation  ;  but  here  he  dwelt  for 
several  years  with  his  wife  and  children,  several  of 
whom  were  born  and  died  here.  His  calling  was  that 
of  a  stone-cutter,  and  he  fixed  himself  on  a  spot  where 
materials  could  be  met  with  to  employ  a  thousand  men 
for  a  thousand  years." 

The  Rev.  Robert  S.  Hawker  wrote  an  account  of 
Daniel  Gumb  for  All  the  Year  Round  \x\  1866,  and  this 
has  been  reprinted  in  Footsteps  of  Former  Men  in 
Cornwall. 

He  pretends  that  when  he  visited  the  Cheesewring 
in  183-,  there  still  existed  fragments  of  Daniel  Gumb's 
''thoughts  and  studies  still  treasured  up  in  the  existing 
families  of  himself  and  his  wife."  And  he  gives 
transcripts  from  these,  and  also  from  what  must  have 
been  a  diary.  But  Mr.  Hawker  embroidered  facts  with 
so  much  detail  drawn  from  his  own  fancy,  that  his  state- 
ments have  to  be  taken  with  a  very  large  pinch  of  salt. 

It  must  be  remembered,  in  his  justification,  that  his 
stories  of  Cornish  Characters  were  intended  as  maga- 
zine articles  to  amuse,  but  without  any  purpose  of 
having  them  regarded  as  strictly  biographical  and  his- 
torical. They  were  brief  historical  romances,  and  were 
not  intended  to  be  taken  seriously. 


94  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

I  will  give  but  one  quotation,  and  the  reader  can 
judge  for  himself  therefrom  whether  it  does  not  look 
like  an  extract  "made  in  Morwenstow."  Mr.  Hawker 
says  : — 

"On  the  fly-leaves  of  an  old  account  book  the 
following  strange  statement  appears  :  'June  23rd,  1764. 
To-day,  at  bright  noon,  I  looked  up  and  saw  all  at  once 
a  stranger  standing  on  the  turf,  just  above  my  block. 
He  was  dressed  like  an  old  picture  I  remember  in  the 
windows  of  S.  Neot's  Church,  in  a  long  brown  garment, 
with  a  girdle ;  and  his  head  was  uncovered  and  grizzled 
with  long  hair.  He  spoke  to  me,  and  he  said  in  a  low, 
clear  vioce,  "  Daniel,  that  work  is  hard  !  "  I  wondered 
that  he  should  know  my  name,  and  I  answered,  "Yes, 
sir  ;  but  I  am  used  to  it  and  don't  mind  it,  for  the  sake 
of  the  faces  at  home."  Then  he  said,  sounding  his 
words  like  a  psalm,  "  Man  goeth  forth  to  his  work  and 
to  his  labour  until  the  evening.  When  will  it  be  night 
with  Daniel  Gumb?"  I  began  to  feel  queer  ;  it  seemed 
to  me  that  there  was  something  awful  about  the  un- 
known man.  I  even  shook.  Then  he  said  again, 
"  Fear  nothing.  The  happiest  man  in  all  the  earth  is  he 
that  wins  his  daily  bread  by  his  daily  sweat,  if  he  will 
but  fear  God  and  do  man  no  wrong."  I  bent  down 
my  head  like  any  one  dumbfounded,  and  I  greatly 
wondered  who  this  strange  appearance  could  be.  He 
was  not  like  a  preacher,  for  he  looked  me  full  in  the 
face  ;  nor  a  bit  like  a  parson,  for  he  seemed  very  meek 
and  kind.  I  began  to  think  it  was  a  spirit,  only  such 
ones  always  come  by  night,  and  here  was  I  at  noon- 
day and  at  work.  So  I  made  up  my  mind  to  drop  my 
hammer  and  step  up  and  ask  his  name  right  out.  But 
when  I  looked  up  he  was  gone,  and  that  clear  out  of 
my  sight,  on  the  bare,  wide  moor,  suddenly.'" 

Now,  in  the  first  place,  no  trace  or  tidings  of  these 


DANIEL   GUMB  95 

notes  so  treasured  up  by  the  family  are  to  be  found  in 
the  parish  of  Linkinhorne,  to  which  Gumb  and  his  wife 
belonged. 

In  the  second  place,  Mr.  Hawker  makes  Daniel 
remark  that  his  mysterious  visitant  was  not  like  a 
Dissenting  preacher  because  he  looked  him  straight  in 
the  face,  and  this  is  significantly  like  a  remark  Hawker 
often  made  with  regard  to  these  gentry. 

Another  of  these  pretended  notes  refers  to  the  finding 
of  a  fossil  fish  embedded  in  granite.  This  alone 
suffices  to  wake  suspicion  that  the  extracts  are  not 
genuine.  Fossils  never  have  been  found  in  granite, 
and  never  will  be.  But  Hawker  himself  did  not  know 
this,  as  he  was  totally  ignorant  of  the  first  principles 
of  geology. 


LAURENCE    BRADDON 

LAURENCE  BRADDON,  second  son  of  Captain 
William  Braddon,  of  Treworgy,  in  S.  Gennys, 
J  was  called  to  the  bar  of  the  Middle  Temple, 
-^  and  worked  at  his  profession  diligently.  He 
entered  Parliament  in  1651,  but  did  not  attract  special 
notice  till  the  occasion  of  the  suicide  of  the  Earl  of 
Essex  in  the  Tower,  in  1683. 

The  people  of  England  had  been,  and  still  were, 
greatly  troubled  about  the  succession  to  the  throne,  in 
the  event  of  the  death  of  Charles  II.  They  had  no 
mind  to  have  the  throne  occupied  by  a  Popish  prince, 
and  several  plots  were  hatched  to  prevent  such  a  con- 
tingency. Monmouth,  with  Lord  Essex,  Shaftesbury, 
Lord  Howard  of  Escrick,  Russell,  Algernon  Sidney, 
and  John  Hampden,  held  meetings  to  found  an  associa- 
tion to  agitate  and  compel  the  King  to  assemble  Parlia- 
ment, to  take  measures  to  secure  a  Protestant  succession 
and  the  exclusion  of  the  Duke  of  York.  On  other 
points  they  disagreed.  Monmouth  hoped  to  have  his 
legitimacy  established  and  to  secure  the  crown  for  his 
own  brows.  Sidney  and  Essex  were  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  commonwealth.  Russell  and  Hampden 
intended  only  the  exclusion  of  the  Duke.  As  to  Lord 
Howard,  he  was  a  man  of  no  principle,  and  his  sole 
desire  was  to  fish  in  troubled  waters  and  get  out  of 
them  what  he  could. 

More  desperate  spirits  schemed  plans  of  assassination, 
and  a  plot  was  formed  for  murdering  Charles  and  the 


LAURENCE    BRADDON  97 

Duke  of  York  as  they  passed  the  Rye  House  on  the 
road  from  London  to  Newmarket,  but  there  is  no 
evidence  that  the  noble  schemers  had  any  knowledge  of 
the  Rye  House  Plot. 

Both  projects  were  betrayed,  and  though  they  were 
wholly  distinct  from  one  another,  the  cruel  ingenuity  of 
the  Crown  lawyers  blended  them  into  one. 

The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury  fled  to  the  Continent ; 
Monmouth  absconded  ;  Russell  was  committed  to  the 
Tower ;  Howard,  who  had  concealed  himself  in  a 
chimney,  was  drawn  forth  by  the  heels,  and  to  secure 
his  neck  betrayed  Essex,  Sidney,  and  Hampden,  who 
were  all  committed  to  the  Tower. 

Several  of  the  conspirators  in  the  Rye  House  Plot 
were  sentenced  to  death  and  at  once  executed.  From 
their  confessions  it  appeared  that  the  conspiracy  had 
wide  ramifications,  and  that  a  scheme  of  insurrection 
throughout  the  country  had  been  formed,  and  that  steps 
had  been  taken  to  organize  it. 

On  the  day  upon  which  Lord  Russell  was  brought  to 
trial  the  Earl  of  Essex  was  found  in  the  closet  of  his 
chamber  with  his  throat  cut,  and  this  but  just  after 
a  visit  to  the  Tower  by  the  King  with  the  Duke  of 
York. 

An  inquest  was  at  once  held,  at  which  it  was 
shown  that  Lord  Essex  was  a  man  of  a  despondent 
temper,  that  he  had  been  lately  in  a  lugubrious 
mood,  and  in  the  depths  of  melancholy  ;  and  evidence 
was  conclusive  that  he  had  cut  his  own  throat  with 
a  razor.  The  jury  accordingly  found  a  verdict  of 
felo  de  se. 

Now  it  so  fell  out  that  on  the  following  Sunday 
Laurence  Braddon  went  to  visit  a  Mr.  Evans,  of  the  Cus- 
tom House,  at  his  country  house  at  Wanstead,  in  Essex, 
where  was  also  a  Mr.  Halstead,  and  Evans  was  telling 

H 


98  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

Halstead  that  he  had  heard  from  a  kinsman  of  his 
named  Edwards,  also  in  the  Customs,  that  his  boy  had 
been  in  the  Tower  yard  on  the  morning  of  the  death  of 
Lord  Essex,  and  that  he  had  seen  a  hand  thrust  out  of 
that  nobleman's  window,  and  a  razor  stained  with  blood 
thrown  down  on  the  pavement  of  the  yard.  Next 
moment  a  maid-servant  wearing  a  white  hood  had 
run  out,  secured  the  razor  and  carried  it  within,  and 
that  he  had  heard  cries  from  within  of  "  Murder ! 
Murder  !" 

Braddon  listened,  walking  up  and  down  the  room,  as 
Evans  told  this  story.  He  was  greatly  excited  by  it, 
and  thought  that  it  pointed  to  a  murder  having  been 
committed,  and  that  probably  at  the  instigation  of  the 
Duke  of  York. 

Accordingly  Braddon  went  next  day  to  the  quay 
and  got  Evans  and  Edwards  to  meet  him  at  the  "  Star" 
public-house  and  repeat  the  story.  It  seemed  that 
Edwards  had  two  boys  who  were  in  Merchant  Taylors' 
School,  and  that  one  of  their  sisters  was  married  and 
living  in  the  Tower.  On  the  morning  of  the  death  of 
Lord  Essex  the  lads  were  on  their  way  to  school,  when, 
passing  the  Tower,  they  heard  that  the  King  and  the 
Duke  of  York  were  in  it,  whereupon  the  younger,  an 
urchin  of  twelve  or  thirteen,  gave  his  brother  the  slip, 
and  ran  in  to  see  the  King  and  the  Duke.  After  they 
had  departed  he  remained  in  the  yard  playing  chuck- 
farthing  with  other  boys,  when  he  saw  a  hand  thrust 
forth  from  a  window  and  throw  a  bloody  razor  into  the 
court,  and  after  that  a  maid  or  woman  in  a  white  hood 
and  stuff  coat  took  it  up  and  went  in,  and  then  he 
heard  a  noise  as  of  *  *  Murder  !  "  cried  out.  Braddon  then 
went  to  the  house  of  Edwards  to  question  the  boy,  who 
prevaricated.  Braddon  believed  that  the  child's  mother 
and  sister  had  been  at  him,  telling  him  that  he  was 


LAURENCE    BRADDON  99 

likely  to  get  them  all  into  trouble  if  he  persisted  in 
his  tale,  and  urged  by  them,  professed  that  he  had  told 
a  lie. 

The  matter  became  common  talk  on  the  quay  and 
the  purlieus  of  the  Tower. 

Braddon  had  no  great  difficulty  in  finding  a  little 
girl  named  Jane  Lodeman,  aged  thirteen,  who  was  in 
the  same  tale.     This  is  what  he  took  down  : — 

''Jane  Lodeman  was  in  the  Tower  on  Friday  morn- 
ing, 13th  July  last,  and  standing  almost  over  against 
the  late  Earl  of  Essex's  lodging  window,  she  saw  a 
hand  cast  a  razor  out  of  my  lord's  window,  and 
immediately  upon  this  she  heard  shrieks,  and  that 
there  was  a  soldier  by  my  lord's  door,  who  cried  out  to 
those  within  the  house  that  somebody  should  come 
and  take  up  a  razor  which  was  thrown  out  of  the 
window,  whereupon  there  came  a  maid  with  a  white 
hood  out  of  the  house,  but  who  took  up  the  razor  she 
can't  tell." 

Dated  8th  August,  1683. 

On  July  20th  Braddon  had  gone  to  Whitehall  before 
he  had  obtained  this  corroborative  evidence,  and  had 
laid  information  before  the  King  and  Council,  and  pro- 
duced a  written  deposition  as  to  what  the  boy  Edwards 
had  said  he  had  seen  ;  but  the  boy's  sister  deposed 
that  Mr.  Laurence  Braddon  had  forced  her  brother  to 
sign  it.  Soon  after  Braddon  had  taken  this  step,  he 
heard  a  rumour  that  the  fact  of  the  violent  death  of  the 
Earl  of  Essex  had  been  known  and  discussed  in  From.e 
Selwood  the  same  day,  and  he  hurried  off  to  make 
inquiries  into  this.  But  on  reaching  Salisbury  he  was 
arrested,  thrown  into  prison,  and  brought  back  to 
London.  Another  gentleman,  a  Mr.  Speeke,  had  also 
been  spreading  the  report  that  Lord  Essex  had  been 
foully  murdered,  and  it  was  hinted  that  the  Duke  of 


loo  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

York,  if  not  the  King,  had  ordered  the  assassination. 
Speeke  also  was  arrested. 

Narcissus  Luttrell's  account  of  the  death  of  Essex  is 
as  follows  : — 

1683,  13th  July.  —  "About  nine  in  the  morning,  the 
Earl  of  Essex,  prisoner  in  the  Tower  of  London, 
upon  account  of  this  new  plott,  did  most  barbarously 
cut  his  own  throat  from  one  ear  to  the  other  with  a 
razor.  What  occasioned  it  is  doubtfull :  some  say,  the 
sense  of  his  guilt ;  others,  the  shame  for  being  accused 
of  such  a  crime,  when  his  father,  the  Lord  Capell,  died 
for  his  loyalty  to  the  late  King  ;  however,  the  coroner's 
jury  have  satt  on  his  body,  and  found  him  felo  de  se^ 
tho'  some  stick  not  to  say  'tis  impossible  he  should 
murther  himself  in  so  barbarous  a  manner  ;  and  his 
Majesty  hath  been  pleased  to  give  his  goods,  which  were 
forfeited  by  his  killing  himself,  to  his  son." 

On  November  6th  he  says:  "Mr.  Speak  was  brought 
to  the  Court  of  King's  Bench,  and  charged  with  two 
informations  :  the  ist,  for  saying  the  King  was  as  great 
a  Papist  as  the  Duke  of  York  ;  that  the  Duke  durst  not 
doe  what  he  did  but  that  the  King  did  animate  him  ; 
that  what  Pilkington  had  formerly  said  of  the  Duke  of 
York  was  true;  with  much  other  such  scandalous  stuff; 
and  2nd  was  for  sayeing  that  the  Earl  of  Essex  was 
killed  and  murdered  by  those  that  attended  on  him  in 
the  Tower  ;  to  both  these  he  pleaded  Not  Guilty." 

1683-4,  February  7th.  —  "Mr.  Lawrence  Braddon 
and  Mr.  Hugh  Speke  were  tried  at  the  Court  of  King's 
Bench,  by  a  jury  of  Middlesex,  upon  an  information 
reciting  the  commitment  of  the  late  Earl  of  Essex  to 
the  Tower  for  treason  in  conspiring  the  death  of  the 
King,  etc.,  and  that  the  13th  July  last  he  cut  his  own 
throat,  and  was  found  felo  de  se  by  the  coroner's  in- 
quisition ;  the  said  Braddon  and  Speke  did  conspire  by 


LAURENCE    BRADDON  loi 

writing  and  otherwise,  to  spread  a  false  and  scandalous 
report,  that  the  said  Earl  was  murdered  by  some  per- 
sons about  him,  and  endeavoured  to  suborn  witnesses  to 
testifye  the  same.  The  evidence  for  the  King,  was  first, 
the  warder  of  the  Tower,  who  testified  as  to  his  Lord- 
ship's commitment ;  then  the  coroner,  and  the  inquisi- 
tion taken  before  him,  whereby  his  Lordship  was  found 
felo  de  se,  was  read ;  then  the  particular  evidence 
against  Mr.  Braddon  was,  by  severall  persons,  how 
busy  and  sollicitous  he  was  to  take  persons'  informations, 
and  to  examine  a  little  child  about  ten  years  old,  about 
a  discourse  that  ran  through  the  town  that  a  bloody 
razor  was  thrown  out  of  his  Lordship's  window  ;  and 
that  the  cry  of  Murder  was  heard  ;  and  that  a  servant 
maid  came  presently  out  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  of 
Essex,  and  took  up  the  razor,  and  carried  it  in ;  and  that 
then  it  was  said  the  Lord  of  Essex  had  killed  himself. 
Then  the  severall  informations  Braddon  had  taken  in 
writing  relating  to  this  matter  were  read,  and  some  of 
the  informants  themselves  examined,  whose  testimony 
much  differ'd  from  their  informations,  then  severall  testi- 
fied the  confident  and  strange  discourse  this  Braddon 
frequently  us'd  concerning  the  matter.  The  evidence 
against  Mr.  Speke  was  only  a  letter  writt  by  him  to 
Sir  Robert  Atkins  th'  elder,  and  carried  by  Mr.  Brad- 
don, but  was  seized  about  him  when  he  was  going 
thither,  which  contained  severall  expressions  in  com- 
mendation of  Mr.  Braddon  and  his  zeale,  with  re- 
flexions on  this  matter  ;  then  the  evidence  was  given 
of  his  Lordship's  cutting  his  own  throat  with  a  razor, 
which  was  proved  by  his  own  servant,  a  Frenchman  ; 
by  the  warder,  by  the  centinell,  and  by  Capt.  Hawley. 
The  defendants'  proof  was,  first,  Braddon  pretended  he 
did  nothing  but  out  of  zeale  to  have  the  truth  come 
out  :  then  he  call'd  some  witnesses  to  prove  that  there 


I02  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

was  a  discourse  of  the  Lord  of  Essex's  being  killed, 
and  a  razor  thrown  out,  before  he  concern'd  himself  in 
it.  Speke  had  little  to  say  against  the  letter,  but  own'd 
it  to  be  his  hand  ;  so  that  the  jury,  after  a  little  while, 
agreed  of  their  verdict,  and  found  the  defendant 
Braddon  guilty  of  all  that  was  laid  in  the  information, 
and  the  defendant  Speke  guilty  of  all  except  the  con- 
spiring to  suborn  witnesses. 

'*  'Twas  strange  any  man  should  concern  himself  in 
an  affair  of  this  moment  on  the  information  of  a  boy 
ten  years  old,  who  had  denied  all  after  he  had  confess'd 
it,  and  did  at  his  tryall,  and  make  all  this  rent  that  was 
about  it." 

April  2ist,  1684. — "Mr.  Laurence  Braddon  and  Mr. 
Hugh  Speke,  convicted  last  term  upon  an  endeavour 
to  lay  the  murder  of  the  late  Earl  of  Essex  upon  the 
Government,  were  brought  to  the  Court  of  King's 
Bench  to  receive  their  judgments  ;  which  was,  that 
Braddon  should  pay  a  fine  of  i^2000,  and  Speke  ^1000 
to  the  King  ;  that  they  find  sureties  for  their  good 
behaviour  during  their  lives,  and  be  committed  to  the 
King's  Bench  prison  till  they  doe  so." 

Hugh  Speke,  who  was  tried  along  with  Laurence 
Braddon,  was  an  inveterate  plotter.  Macaulay  thus 
describes  him  :  "  Hugh  Speke  (was)  a  young  man  of 
good  family,  but  of  a  singularly  base  and  depraved 
nature.  His  love  of  mischief  and  of  dark  and  crooked 
ways  amounted  almost  to  madness.  To  cause  confusion 
without  being  found  out  was  his  business  and  his  pas- 
time ;  and  he  had  a  rare  skill  in  using  honest  enthu- 
siasts as  the  instruments  of  his  cold-blooded  malice." 

Referring  to  the  case  of  Braddon,  Macaulay  adds  : 
*'He  had  attempted,  by  means  of  one  of  his  puppets, 
to  fasten  on  Charles  and  James  the  crime  of  murdering 
Essex  in  the  Tower.      On  this  occasion  the  agency  of 


LAURENCE    BRADDON  103 

Speke  had  been  traced  ;  and  though  he  succeeded  in 
throwing  the  greater  part  of  the  blame  on  his  dupe,  he 
had  not  escaped  with  impunity." 

He  was  certainly  a  clever  scoundrel,  for  he  managed 
to  cover  up  most  of  his  traces  in  the  affair  of  the 
charge  of  the  murder  of  Essex. 

Braddon  was  sincere,  while  Speke  was  not.  Braddon 
was  convinced  that  a  murder  had  been  committed,  and 
he  had  not  a  well-balanced  mind  to  weigh  evidence. 
Speke  cared  nothing  whether  crime  had  been  commit- 
ted or  not  so  long  as  he  could  disturb  men's  minds 
with  a  suspicion  that  one  had  been  committed,  and  that 
by  the  King's  brother  and  heir  presumptive  to  the 
Crown. 

The  evidence  produced  by  Laurence  Braddon  was 
practically  worthless.  He  had  but  the  word  of  two 
little  children,  and  the  boy  had  retracted  and  acknow- 
ledged that  he  had  told  lies.  As  to  the  fact  of  the 
death  of  Lord  Essex  being  known  at  Frome  on  the  13th, 
showing  that  the  murder  had  been  premeditated  and 
was  part  of  a  widely  ramified  scheme  of  the  Papists,  it 
was  shown  that  nothing  was  known  there  of  it  till  many 
days  later. 

The  evidence  for  the  King  was  Bomeny,  the  valet  de 
chambre  of  Lord  Essex.  He  stated  that  the  Earl  had 
long  nails,  and  that  morning  had  asked  for  a  penknife 
so  as  to  pare  them.  Bomeny  had  commissioned  a  foot- 
man, William  Turner,  to  get  one,  and  bring  it  along 
with  some  provisions  ordered  for  the  Earl's  breakfast. 
Turner  brought  the  provisions,  but  had  forgotten 
about  the  penknife,  whereupon  Lord  Essex  began  to 
cut  his  nails  with  his  razor,  and  the  footman  was  again 
despatched  for  a  penknife.  Just  then  the  King  and  the 
Duke  of  York  arrived  at  the  Tower,  and  there  was 
great  bustle  in  the  yard,   and  Bomeny  left  the  Earl's 


I04  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

room.  When  he  met  the  footman  with  the  knife  he 
returned,  but  not  finding  Lord  Essex  in  his  chamber, 
he  tried  to  open  the  closet  door,  when  he  found  that 
there  was  an  obstruction.  Somewhat  alarmed,  he  ran 
to  Russell,  the  warder,  whose  door  was  almost  oppo- 
site on  the  same  staircase,  and  both  went  to  the  closet, 
and  found  Lord  Essex  lying  in  it  with  his  throat  cut 
and  his  feet  against  the  door. 

Russell  corroborated  this  evidence,  and  added  that 
no  one  could  possibly  ascend  the  stair  and  enter  Lord 
Essex's  chamber  without  his  knowledge.  The  soldier, 
Lloyd,  who  acted  as  sentinel  at  the  entrance  to  the 
Earl's  quarters,  testified  that  there  was  no  truth  in  the 
children's  tale  about  the  razor,  and  that  no  maid  had 
issued  from  the  door  to  pick  one  up. 

It  was  further  established  that  the  closet  window  did 
not  look  into  the  main  yard,  and  was  so  arranged  that 
a  hand  could  not  be  passed  out  of  it. 

Judge  Jeffreys  conducted  the  investigation,  and  that 
in  a  most  unseemly  manner.  Apparently  he  was  drunk 
at  the  time,  and  was  so  confused  that  he  was  not  able  to 
follow  the  evidence.  He  browbeat  the  witnesses  in 
the  most  offensive  way. 

On  November  6th,  1684,  a  French  Protestant  refugee, 
named  Borleau,  was  indicted  for  selling  a  scandalous 
book  called  U Esprit  de  Monsieur  Arnaiid,  in  which  he 
declared  that  the  Earl  of  Essex  had  not  cut  his  own 
throat,  but  had  been  foully  murdered.  He  pleaded 
guilty,  and  the  King  graciously  allowed  him  to  be 
fined  only  6s.  8d.,  and  to  be  discharged  without  paying 
his  fees.  There  was  most  certainly  fish  made  of  one 
and  fowl  of  another. 

Again,  in  December  of  the  same  year  a  book  ap- 
peared entitled  An  Enquiry  about  the  Barbarous 
Murder  of  the  Earl  of  Essex,  that  was  vended  surrepti- 


LAURENCE    BRADDON  105 

tiously,  and  a  broadside  written  by  Colonel  Danvers, 
giving  the  evidence  that  he  was  murdered,  was  thrown 
in  at  open  doors  and  distributed  in  the  streets  of  London. 
A  hundred  pounds  was  offered  for  the  apprehension  of 
Danvers.  As  to  the  book,  it  was  from  the  pen  of 
Laurence  Braddon,  and  was  later,  when  it  could  be 
done  safely,  acknowledged  by  him.  On  January  23rd, 
1684-5,  a  Mr.  Henry  Baker  pleaded  guilty  to  an  infor- 
mation for  using  scandalous  words  about  the  Duke  of 
York,  and  at  the  same  time  a  printer,  Norden,  did  the 
same  to  an  indictment  for  publishing  the  "  scandalous 
libell  in  vindication  of  the  lord  of  Essex."  And  on 
February  3rd  one  of  the  jury  at  the  inquest,  Launcelot 
Colston  by  name,  was  had  up  before  King's  Bench  on 
a  charge  of  having  said  that  he  did  not  believe  that  the 
Earl  had  cut  his  throat,  for  he  could  not  have  done  so 
himself  in  the  way  in  which  he  was  found.  Norden 
was  sentenced  to  pay  200  marks,  and  to  stand  in  the 
pillory  at  Ratcliffe,  and  to  be  bound  to  his  good  be- 
haviour for  seven  years,  and  be  committed  to  prison  till 
this  was  done. 

In  1685,  on  the  landing  of  the  Duke  of  Monmouth, 
in  the  Proclamation  he  published,  he  charged  King 
James  with  the  murder  of  Essex,  with  his  own  hand. 

In  January,  1689,  a  Captain  Hawley,  Major  Whit- 
ley, and  some  two  or  three  more  were  imprisoned 
for  maintaining  that  Essex  had  not  committed  suicide. 
But  this  was  at  the  moment  when  all  power  was  slip- 
ping out  of  the  hands  of  King  James  II  ;  the  Prince  of 
Orange  came  to  the  throne,  and  on  February  23rd 
a  Captain  Holland  was  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison 
on  the  charge  of  having  been  concerned  in  the  murder 
of  the  Earl,  and  this  was  followed  by  numerous  other 
arrests.  But  the  prison-doors  were  thrown  open  for 
Laurence  Braddon  to  issue  forth  and  recommence  his 


io6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

accusations  of  murder.  He  republished  the  "Enquiry 
into  and  Detection  of  the  Barbarous  Murther  of  the  late 
Earl  of  Essex  ;  or  a  Vindication  of  that  Noble  Person 
from  the  Guilt  and  Infamy  of  having  Destroyed 
himself." 

Even  before  the  throne,  vacated  by  King  James,  had 
been  filled  by  the  Prince  of  Orange,  the  Lords  had 
appointed  a  committee  to  examine  into  the  truth  of  the 
frightful  stories  circulated  relative  to  the  death  of  Essex. 
The  committee,  which  consisted  wholly  of  zealous 
Whigs,  continued  its  inquiries  till  all  reasonable  men 
were  convinced  that  he  had  fallen  by  his  own  hand,  and 
till  Lady  Essex,  his  brother,  and  his  most  intimate 
friends  requested  that  the  investigation  might  be  pur- 
sued no  further.  That  under  Judge  Jeffreys  had  been 
open  to  suspicion,  this  could  not.  But  nothing  would 
alter  the  persuasion  of  Braddon  that  this  was  a  case  of 
murder. 

Next  year,  1690,  he  came  out  with  a  fresh  pamphlet, 
"Essex's  Innocency  and  Honour  Vindicated,  or  Mur- 
ther, Subornation,  Perjury,  and  Oppression,  justly 
charged  on  the  Murtherers  of  that  Noble  and  True 
Patriot  Arthur  (late)  Earl  of  Essex,"  etc. 

It  had  become  a  matter  of  party  feeling,  and  it  was 
held  by  all  true  Protestants  to  be  their  duty  to  believe 
in  the  murder,  so  as  to  blacken  the  character  of 
James  II.  The  evidence,  however,  was  too  poor  to 
convince  a  cool-minded  man  like  Bishop  Burnet,  and 
in  his  History  of  His  Oimi  Times  he  spoke  of  Essex 
having  cut  his  own  throat.  Thereupon  Laurence 
Braddon  resumed  his  pen  and  published  an  attack  on 
the  Bishop  :  "  Bishop  Burnet's  History  charged  with 
great  partiality  and  misrepresentations,  to  make  the 
present  and  future  ages  believe  that  Arthur,  Earl  of 
Essex,  in   1683,  murdered  himselfe,  with  observations 


LAURENCE    BRADDON  107 

upon  the  suppos'd  poysoning  of  King  Charles  the 
Second,"  1724. 

In  1695  Braddon  was  appointed  solicitor  to  the  wine- 
licensing  office,  with  a  salary  of  ;^ioo  per  annum. 

In  one  point  Braddon  showed  great  perspicuity  and 
good  feeling.  In  1717  he  published  a  pamphlet 
entitled  "  The  Miseries  of  the  Poor,  a  National  Sin  and 
Shame  "  ;  and  when  his  scheme  for  the  relief  of  the  poor 
had  been  animadverted  upon  unfavourably,  in  1722,  he 
answered  these  objections  in  another  tractate  :  "  Par- 
ticular answers  to  the  most  material  objections  made  to 
the  proposal  humbly  presented  to  His  Majesty  for 
relieving,  reforming,  and  employing  all  the  poor  of 
Great  Britain,"  1722. 

Laurence  Braddon  died  on  Sunday,  29th  November, 
1724. 

The  Braddons  must  have  been  a  family  of  some  con- 
sequence in  S.  Gennys,  although  their  arms  and 
pedigree  are  not  recorded  in  the  Heralds'  Visitations. 
At  the  trial  of  Laurence,  it  was  stated  that  his  father's 
income  from  his  property  was  fully  ^800  per  annum. 
Laurence  derived  his  fiery  Protestantism  from  his  father, 
who  had  been  a  Parliamentarian  officer  of  some  distinc- 
tion in  the  Civil  War.  His  father  is  buried  in  the 
chancel  of  S.  Gennys,  and  some  verses  are  inscribed 
on  the  ledgerstone,  beginning  : — 

In  war  and  peace  I  bore  command, 
Both  gun  and  sword  I  wore. 

The  arms  borne  by  the  family  are  :  Sable,  a  bend 
lozengy,  arg. — arms  that  in  their  beautiful  simplicity 
proclaim  their  antiquity. 

The  old  mansion  of  the  Braddons  in  S.  Gennys  has 
been  pulled  down  and  a  modern  farm-house  erected  on 
the  site. 


THOMASINE    BONAVENTURA 

WEEK  S.  MARY  stands  in  a  treeless  wind- 
swept situation,  530  feet  above  the  sea,  near 
the  source  of  two  small  streams  rising  in 
the  desolate  downs  to  the  south,  which 
unite  their  waters  at  Langford,  and  have  sawn  for 
themselves  deep  clefts  that  are  well  wooded.  At  a 
remote  period  this  district  must  have  been  the  scene 
of  contests,  for  it  is  studded  with  earthworks.  There 
was  a  castle  at  Week,  but  camps  also  crowning  a  height 
in  Westwood  and  in  Swannacott  Wood  ;  and  Week 
S.  Mary  with  its  castle  stood  aloft,  defended  by  one  of 
these  on  each  side.  Formerly  there  was  not  so  much 
enclosed  land  as  there  is  at  present ;  but  it  was  pre- 
cisely the  moorland  that  extended  over  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  parish  that  constituted  its  wealth,  for  on 
this  waste  pastured  vast  flocks  of  sheep,  whose  fleeces 
were  in  request  at  a  time  when  wool  was  the  staple 
industry  in  the  West  of  England. 

The  ridge  of  bare,  uplifted,  carboniferous  rock  and 
clay,  cold  and  bleak,  was  formerly  scantily  provided 
with  roads,  and  with  homesteads  few  and  far  between  ; 
and  to  guide  the  traveller  through  the  waste,  cer- 
tain churches  with  lofty  towers  were  erected  on 
high  ground — Pancrasweek,  Holsworthy,  Bridgerule, 
Week  S.  Mary — to  enable  him  to  make  his  way  across 
country  from  one  to  the  other.  A  farm  or  a  manor- 
house  nestled  in  a  combe,  sheltered  from  the  wind, 
from   the  sea,   and  the  driving  rain  ;   but  farmer  and 

108 


THOMASINE    BONAVENTURA  109 

squire  drew  their  wealth  from  the  sheep  on  the  uplands, 
which  were  moreover  strewn,  as  they  still  are,  with 
barrows,  under  which  lie  the  dead  of  the  Bronze  and 
Stone  ages. 

Davies  Gilbert  absurdly  derives  the  name  of  the 
place  from  the  Cornish,  and  makes  it  signify  **  sweet." 
No  more  unsuitable  epithet  could  have  been  applied. 
It  signifies  viciis,  a  village  or  hamlet,  and  is  found  also 
at  Pancrasweek,  Germansweek,  and  elsewhere. 

In  the  village  are  still  to  be  seen  the  remains  of  the 
old  school  and  chantry  founded  by  Thomasine  Bona- 
ventura,  a  shepherd  girl,  native  of  the  place,  whose 
story  is  told  by  Carew  and  by  Hall  ;  and  from  them 
we  take  it. 

Thomasine  was  born  about  the  year  1450,  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  VI,  and  her  father  was  a  small  farmer 
who  had  his  flock  of  sheep  pasturing  on  the  wild  waste 
common-lands.  Thomasine  watched  it,  and  spun  from 
her  distaff.  Above  the  desolate  moors  to  the  south- 
west stood  up  blue  against  the  sky  the  rugged  height 
of  Brown  Willy,  crowned  by  its  mighty  cairns  ;  to  the 
west  and  south-west  stretched  the  Atlantic,  into  which 
the  evening  sun  went  down  in  a  blaze  of  glory. 

One  day  a  London  merchant,  a  dealer  in  wool,  came 
riding  over  the  moor  ;  probably  from  Tintagel  or 
Forrabury,  and  making  direct  for  Week  S.  Mary  tower, 
when  he  passed  a  barrow  on  which  sat  the  shepherd 
girl  spinning,  the  breeze  from  the  sea  blowing  her 
dark  hair  about,  singing  some  old  ballad,  but  ever 
keeping  her  eye  on  her  father's  sheep.  Behind  him 
trailed  a  line  of  horses  laden  with  the  packs  of  wool 
that  he  had  purchased,  led  by  his  men.  He  halted  to 
speak  to  the  girl,  probably  to  learn  from  her  where  he 
might  best  ford  the  stream  in  the  valley  below.  She 
answered,  and  he  was  pleased  with  her  intelligence, 


no  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

and  not  less  with  her  beauty.  He  inquired  who  she 
was,  what  was  her  name,  and  what  the  circumstances 
of  her  parents.  To  all  these  questions  she  gave  prompt 
and  direct  answers.  Then,  still  more  taken  with  her, 
he  asked  Thomasine  whether  she  would  accompany 
him  to  London,  to  be  servant  to  his  wife,  and  he  offered 
her  good  wages  and  kind  treatment.  She  replied,  with 
caution,  that  she  was  under  the  guardianship  of  her 
father  and  mother,  and  that  she  could  not  accept  his 
proposal  without  their  consent. 

Thereupon  the  merchant  rode  on,  and  upon  reach- 
ing Week  S.  Mary  inquired  for  the  house  of 
the  parents  of  Thomasine  and  laid  his  offer  before 
them.  When  they  hesitated,  he  referred  them  to 
his  customers. 

The  parents,  no  doubt,  were  highly  elated  at  being 
able  to  get  their  daughter  into  a  situation  in  London, 
where  all  the  streets  were  paved  with  gold.  But  it 
may  well  be  doubted  whether  they  dreamt  of  what  was 
in  store  for  her. 

So  she  parted  from  her  parents,  certainly  with  many 
tears  on  her  part,  and  earnest  injunctions  from  father 
and  mother  to  conduct  herself  in  a  modest  and  obedient 
manner. 

Now  these  wool  merchants  and  clothiers  were  men 
of  mighty  repute  and  good  substance  in  the  land.  In 
Thomas  Deloney's  delightful  Pleasant  Historie  of 
Thomas  of  Reading,  1600,  we  read  :  ''  Among  all  crafts 
this  was  the  onely  chiefe,  for  that  it  was  the  chiefest 
merchandize,  by  the  which  our  Country  became  famous 
throwout  all  Nations.  And  it  was  verily  thought  that 
the  one  halfe  of  the  people  in  the  land  lived  in  those 
dayes  thereby,  and  in  such  good  sort,  that  in  the 
Commonwealth  there  were  few  or  no  beggars  at  all : 
poore  people,  whom  God  lightly  blessed  with  most  chil- 


THOMASINE    BONAVENTURA  iii 

dren,  did  by  meanes  of  this  occupation  so  order  them, 
that  by  the  time  that  they  were  come  to  be  sixe  or 
seven  yeares  of  age,  they  were  able  to  get  their  owne 
bread.  Idlenesse  was  then  banished  our  coast,  so  that 
it  was  a  rare  thing  to  heare  of  a  thiefe  in  those  dayes. 
Therefore  it  was  not  without  cause  that  Clothiers  were 
then  both  honoured  and  loved." 

Doubtless  so  soon  as  the  merchant  reached  Launces- 
ton  he  placed  all  the  wool  he  purchased  on  carts,  to 
convey  it  to  town  through  Exeter.  Deloney  tells  an 
amusing  story  of  how  King  Henry  was  riding  forth 
west  with  one  of  his  sons  and  some  of  his  nobility, 
when  "he  met  with  a  great  number  of  waines  loaden 
with  cloth  coming  to  London,  and  seeing  them  still 
drive  one  after  another  so  many  together,  demanded 
whose  they  were.  The  wainemen  answered  in  this 
sort :  Coles  of  Reading,  quoth  they.  Then,  by  and  by, 
the  King  asked  another,  saying  :  Whose  cloth  is  all 
this?  Old  Coles,  quoth  he.  And  againe  anon  after 
he  asked  the  same  questions  to  others,  and  still  they 
answered.  Old  Coles.  And  it  is  to  be  remembered  that 
the  King  met  them  in  such  a  place  so  narrow  and 
streight,  that  hee  with  the  rest  of  his  traine  were  faine 
to  stand  as  close  to  the  hedge,  whilest  the  carts  passed 
by,  the  which  at  that  time  being  in  number  above  two 
hundred,  was  neere  hand  an  hour  ere  the  King  could 
get  room  to  be  gone  ;  so  that  by  his  long  stay,  he 
began  to  be  displeased,  although  the  admiration  of  that 
sight  did  much  qualify  his  furie  ;  but  breaking  out  in 
discontent,  by  reason  of  his  stay,  he  said,  I  thought 
Old  Cole  had  got  a  commission  for  all  the  carts  in  the 
country  to  carry  his  cloth.  And  how  if  he  have  (quoth 
one  of  the  wainemen)  doth  that  grieve  you,  good  Sir? 
Yes,  good  Sir,  said  our  King.  What  say  you  to  that? 
The  fellow,  seeing  the  King  (in  asking  the  question) 


112  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

to  bend  his  browes,  though  he  knew  not  what  he  was, 
yet  being  abasht,  he  answered  thus :  Why,  Sir,  if  you  be 
angry,  nobody  can  hinder  you  ;  for  possibly.  Sir,  you 
have  anger  at  commandment.  The  King,  seeing  him 
in  uttering  of  his  words  to  quiver  and  quake,  laughed 
heartily  at  him  .  .  .  and  by  the  time  he  came  within  a 
mile  of  Staines,  he  met  another  company  of  waines, 
in  like  sort  laden  with  cloth,  whereby  the  King  was 
driven  into  a  further  admiration  ;  and  demanding 
whose  they  were,  answere  was  made  in  this  sort :  They 
bee  goodman  Sutton's  of  Salisbury,  good  Sir.  And  by 
that  time  a  score  of  them  were  past ;  he  asked  againe, 
saying.  Whose  are  these?  Sutton's  of  Salisbury,  quoth 
they,  and  so  still,  so  often  as  the  King  asked  that  ques- 
tion, they  answered,  Sutton's  of  Salisbury.  God  send 
me  such  more  Suttons,  said  the  King.  And  thus  the 
further  he  travelled  westward,  more  waines  and  more 
he  met  continually  :  upon  which  occasion  he  said  to  his 
nobles,  that  it  would  never  grieve  a  King  to  die  for 
the  defence  of  a  fertile  country  and  faithful  subjects. 
I  alwayes  thought  (quoth  he)  that  England's  valor  was 
more  than  her  wealth,  yet  now  I  see  her  wealth  sufficient 
to  maintaine  her  valour,  which  I  will  seek  to  cherish 
in  all  I  may,  and  with  my  sword  keepe  myselfe  in  pos- 
session of  that  I  have." 

Judging  by  what  Deloney  says,  these  clothiers  were 
a  merry  set,  and  the  journey  to  town  was  one  long 
picnic.  They  were — or  some  were — of  good  family. 
Grey,  the  clothier  of  Gloucester,  was  of  the  noble  race 
of  Grey  de  Ruthyn,  and  FitzAllen,  of  Worcester, 
came  of  the  Fitzallens,  "that  famous  family  whose 
patrimony  lay  about  the  town  of  Oswestrie,  which 
towne  his  predecessors  had  inclosed  with  stately  walls 
of  stone." 

The  most  famous  wool  merchant  in  the  West  was 


THOMASINE    BONAVENTURA  113 

Tom    Dove,    of   Exeter,    concerning  whom    this    song 
was  sung  : — 

Welcome  to  town,  Tom  Dove,  Tom  Dove, 

The  merriest  man  alive. 
Thy  company  still  we  love,  we  love, 

God  grant  thee  well  to  thrive. 
And  never  will  we  depart  from  thee, 

For  better,  for  worse,  my  joy  ! 
For  thou  shalt  still  have  our  good  will, 

God's  blessing  on  my  sweet  boy  ! 

In  London  Thomasine  comported  herself  well,  was 
cheerful  and  obliging.  How  the  mercer's  wife  relished 
her  introduction  into  the  house  we  are  not  informed. 
But  this  good  lady  shortly  after  sickened  and  died,  and 
the  widower  offered  Thomasine  his  hand  and  his  heart, 
which  she  accepted. 

After  three  years  Richard  Bunsby,  the  mercer,  died 
and  left  all  he  had  to  Thomasine,  so  that  she,  who  had 
gone  up  to  town  as  a  serving  girl,  was  now  a  rich 
widow,  and  withal  young  and  pretty  and  attractive. 
She  soon  drew  suitors  about  her,  and  her  choice  fell 
on  "that  worshipful  merchant  adventurer.  Master  John 
Gall,  of  S.  Lawrence,  Milk  Street."  He  as  well  was 
wealthy  and  uxorious,  and  he  allowed  his  wife  to 
make  donations  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  of  her  native 
village,  for  which  she  ever  retained  a  lingering  attach- 
ment. 

After  the  lapse  of  five  years  Thomasine  was  again 
a  widow,  and  her  second  husband  had  followed  the 
example  of  the  first  in  leaving  to  her  all  his  posses- 
sions. 

She  had  not  to  wait  long  before  fresh  suitors  buzzed 
about  her  like  flies  around  a  treacle  barrel,  and  now,  in 
the  year  1497,  she  gave  her  hand  to  Sir  John  Percival, 
who  in  the  following  year  became  Lord  Mayor  of 
London.     In  memory  of  this  event,  she  is  tradition- 


114  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ally  held  to  have  constructed  a  good  road — as  good 
roads  went  in  those  days — from  Week  S.  Mary  down 
to  the  coast,  probably  that  over  Week  ford  and 
through  Poundstock,  to  either  Wansum  or  Melhuc 
Mouth. 

She  long  survived  her  third  husband,  and  is  supposed 
to  have  returned  to  end  her  days  as  the  Lady  Bountiful 
in  her  native  village.  By  her  will,  made  in  1510,  she 
left  goodly  sums  of  money  to  Week  S.  Mary. 

But  both  she  and  Sir  John  Percival  had  been  already 
benefactors  in  London.  Sir  John  had  founded  a 
chantry  in  S.  Mary  Woolnoth,  and  in  1539  is  found  an 
entry  in  the  churchwardens'  accounts  of  that  parish 
recording  that  Dame  Thomasine  Percival  had  left 
money  for  the  maintenance  of  the  "  heme  light"  in  the 
church,  i.e.  the  lamp  before  the  rood.  She  had  also 
left  money  to  supply  candles  to  burn  about  the  sepul- 
chre in  the  church  on  Easter  Day,  and  he  had  be- 
queathed moneys  for  the  repair  of  the  ornaments  of  the 
church,  for  bell-ringing,  for  singers  "for  keeping  the 
anthem,"  at  his  and  her  obits,  and  last  but  not  least, 
**for  a  potation  to  the  neighbours  at  the  said  obit." 

Carew  says:  ''And  to  show  that  virtue  as  well  bare  a 
part  in  the  desert,  as  fortune  in  the  means  of  her  pre- 
ferment, she  employed  the  whole  residue  of  her  life  and 
last  widowhood  to  works  no  less  bountiful  than  charit- 
able, namely,  repairing  of  highways,  building  of 
bridges,  endowing  of  maidens,  relieving  of  prisoners, 
feeding  and  apparelling  the  poor,  etc.  Among  the 
rest,  at  this  S.  Mary  Wike  she  founded  a  chantry  and 
free-school,  together  with  fair  lodgings  for  the  school- 
masters, scholars,  and  officers,  and  added  £20  of  yearly 
revenue  for  supporting  the  incident  charges  :  wherein, 
as  the  bent  of  her  desire  was  holy,  so  God  blessed  the 
same  with  all  wished  success  ;  for  divers  of  the  best 


I 


THOMASINE    BONAVENTURA  115 

gentlemen's  sons  of  Devon  and  Cornwall  were  there 
virtuously  trained  up,  in  both  kinds  of  divine  and 
human  learning,  under  one  Cholwel,  an  honest  and 
religious  teacher,  which  caused  the  neighbours  so  much 
the  rather  and  the  more  to  rue,  that  a  petty  smack  only 
of  Popery  opened  the  gap  to  the  oppression  of  the 
whole,  by  the  statute  made  in  Edward  VI's  reign, 
touching  the  suppression  of  chantries." 

This  disaster  befell  it  in  1550,  when  all  colleges, 
chantries,  free  chapels,  fraternities,  and  guilds  through- 
out the  kingdom,  with  their  lands  and  endowments, 
were  alienated  to  the  King — not  because  there  was 
a  '*  petty  smack  of  Popery"  in  them,  but  because  of 
the  rapacity  of  the  courtiers  who  desired  to  gather  the 
lands  and  benefactions  into  their  own  soiled  hands. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Tregellas  says:  ''There  are  still  to  be 
seen  in  the  remote  and  quiet  little  village  of  Week 
S.  Mary,  some  five  or  six  miles  south  of  Bude,  in  the 
northern  corner  of  Cornwall,  the  substantial  remains 
of  the  good  Thomasine's  college  and  chantry,  which 
she  founded  for  the  instruction  of  the  youth  of  her 
native  place. 

''  The  buildings  lie  about  a  hundred  yards  east  of 
the  church  (from  the  summit  of  whose  grotesquely 
ornamented  tower  six-and-twenty  parish  churches  may 
be  discerned),  and  built  into  the  modern  wall  of  a 
cottage  which  stands  inside  the  battlemented  enclosure 
is  a  large  carved  granite  stone  (evidently  one  of  two 
which  once  formed  the  tympanum  of  a  doorway),  on 
which  the  letter  T  stands  out  in  bold  relief.  Probably 
it  is  the  initial  of  the  Christian  name  of  our  Thomasine  ; 
at  any  rate,  it  is  pleasant  to  think  it  may  be  such." 

The  church  and  its  stately  tower  were  probably  built 
by  Thomasine,  or,  at  all  events,  she  would  have  largely 
contributed  towards  the  building.     That  church  is  now, 


ii6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

internally,  a  ghastly  sight.  At  its  **  restoration"  it 
was  gutted,  and  is  as  bare  as  a  railway  station — a 
shell,  and  nothing  more.  But  that  it  was  not  so  in 
Dame  Thomasine's  time  we  may  be  well  assured.  A 
gorgeous  screen  extended  across  its  nave  and  aisles, 
richly  sculptured  and  coloured  and  gilt,  the  windows 
were  filled  with  stained  glass,  and  the  bench  ends 
were  of  carved  oak.     All  this  has  been  swept  away. 

In  the  Stratton  churchwardens'  accounts  for  15 13 
we  find  that  on  the  day  upon  which  "My  Lady 
Parcyvale's  Meneday"  came  round — i.e.  the  day  on 
which  her  death  was  called  to  mind — prayer  was  to  be 
made  for  the  repose  of  her  soul,  and  two  shillings  and 
two  pence  paid  to  two  priests,  and  for  bread  and  ale. 


THE   MURDER  OF   NEVILL  NORWAY 

MR.  NEVILL  NORWAY  was  a  timber 
and  general  merchant,  residing  at  Wade- 
bridge.  He  was  the  second  son  of 
William  Norway,  of  Court  Place,  Eglos- 
hayle,  who  died  in  1819,  and  Nevill  was  baptized  at 
Egloshayle  Church  on  November  5th,  1801. 

In  the  course  of  his  business  he  travelled  about  the 
country  and  especially  attended  markets,  and  he  went 
to  one  at  Bodmin  on  the  8th  of  February,  1840,  on  horse- 
back. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  he  was  transact- 
ing some  little  affair  in  the  market-place,  and  had  his 
purse  in  his  hand,  opened  it  and  turned  out  some  gold 
and  silver,  and  from  the  sum  picked  out  what  he 
wanted  and  paid  the  man  with  whom  he  was  doing 
business.  Standing  close  by  and  watching  him  was  a 
young  man  named  William  Lightfoot,  who  lived  at 
Burlorn,  in  Egloshayle,  and  whom  he  knew  well 
enough  by  sight. 

Mr.  Norway  did  not  leave  Bodmin  till  shortly  before 
ten  o'clock,  and  he  had  got  about  nine  miles  to  ride 
before  he  would  reach  his  house.  The  road  was  lonely 
and  led  past  the  Dunmeer  Woods  and  that  of  Pen- 
carrow. 

He  was  riding  a  grey  horse,  and  he  had  a  com- 
panion, who  proceeded  with  him  along  the  road  for 
three  miles  and  then  took  his  leave  and  branched  off 
in  another  direction. 

117 


ii8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

A  farmer  returning  from  market  somewhat  later  to 
Wadebridge  saw  a  grey  horse  in  the  road,  saddled  and 
bridled,  but  without  a  rider.  He  tried  at  first  to  over- 
take it,  but  the  horse  struck  into  a  gallop  and  he  gave 
up  the  chase  ;  his  curiosity  was,  however,  excited,  and 
upon  meeting  some  men  on  the  road,  and  making  in- 
quiry, they  told  him  that  they  thought  that  the  grey 
horse  that  had  just  gone  by  them  belonged  to  Mr. 
Norway.  This  induced  him  to  call  at  the  house  of  that 
gentleman,  and  he  found  the  grey  steed  standing  at  the 
stable  gate.  The  servants  were  called  out,  and  spots 
of  blood  were  found  upon  the  saddle.  A  surgeon  was 
immediately  summoned,  and  two  of  the  domestics 
sallied  forth  on  the  Bodmin  road,  in  quest  of  their 
master.  The  search  was  not  successful  that  night,  but 
later,  one  of  the  searchers  perceiving  something  white  in 
the  little  stream  of  water  that  runs  beside  the  highway 
and  enters  the  river  Allen  at  Pendavey  Bridge,  they 
examined  it,  and  found  the  body  of  their  unfortunate 
master,  lying  on  his  back  in  the  stream,  with  his  feet 
towards  the  road,  and  what  they  had  seen  glimmering 
in  the  uncertain  light  was  his  shirt  frill.  He  was  quite 
dead. 

The  body  was  at  once  placed  on  the  horse  and  conveyed 
home,  where  the  surgeon,  named  Tickell,  proceeded 
to  examine  it.  He  found  that  the  deceased  had  received 
injuries  about  the  face  and  head,  produced  by  heavy 
and  repeated  blows  from  some  blunt  instrument,  which 
had  undoubtedly  been  the  cause  of  death.  A  wound 
was  discovered  under  the  chin,  into  which  it  appeared 
as  if  some  powder  had  been  carried  ;  and  the  bones  of 
the  nose,  the  forehead,  the  left  side  of  the  head  and  the 
back  of  the  skull  were  frightfully  fractured. 

An  immediate  examination  of  the  spot  ensued  when 
the  body  had  been  found,  and  on  the  left-hand  side  of 


NEVILL    NORWAY 
From  a  painting  in  the  possession  of  Miss  A.  T.  Xoni.>ay 


THE   MURDER  OF  NEVILL  NORWAY   119 

the  road  was  seen  a  pool  of  blood,  from  which  to  the 
rivulet  opposite  was  a  track  produced  by  the  drawing 
of  a  heavy  body  across  the  way,  and  footsteps  were  ob- 
served as  of  more  than  one  person  in  the  mud,  and  it 
was  further  noticed  that  the  boots  of  those  there  im- 
pressed must  have  been  heavy.  There  had  apparently 
been  a  desperate  scuffle  before  Mr.  Norway  had  been 
killed. 

There  was  further  evidence.  Two  sets  of  footmarks 
could  be  traced  of  men  pacing  up  and  down  behind  a 
hedge  in  an  orchard  attached  to  an  uninhabited  house 
hard  by  ;  apparently  men  on  the  watch  for  their  in- 
tended victim. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  pool  of  blood  was  found 
the  hammer  of  a  pistol  that  had  been  but  recently 
broken  off. 

Upon  the  pockets  of  the  deceased  being  examined,  it 
became  obvious  that  robbery  had  been  the  object  of 
the  attack  made  upon  him,  for  his  purse  and  a  tablet 
and  bunch  of  keys  had  been  carried  off. 

Every  exertion  was  made  to  discover  the  perpetrators 
of  the  crime,  and  large  rewards  were  offered  for  evi- 
dence that  should  tend  to  point  them  out.  Jackson,  a 
constable  from  London,  was  sent  for,  and  mainly  by 
his  exertions  the  murderers  were  tracked  down.  A 
man  named  Harris,  a  shoemaker,  deposed  that  he  had 
seen  the  two  brothers,  James  and  William  Lightfoot,  of 
Burlorn,  in  Egloshayle,  loitering  about  the  deserted 
cottage  late  at  night  after  the  Bodmin  fair;  and  a  man 
named  Ayres,  who  lived  next  door  to  James  Lightfoot, 
stated  that  he  had  heard  his  neighbour  enter  his  cottage 
at  a  very  late  hour  on  the  night  in  question,  and  say 
something  to  his  wife  and  child,  upon  which  they 
began  to  weep.  What  he  had  said  he  could  not  hear, 
though  the  partition  between  the  cottages  was  thin. 


I20  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

This  led  to  an  examination  of  the  house  of  James 
Lightfoot  on  February  14th,  when  a  pistol  was  found, 
without  a  lock,  concealed  in  a  hole  in  a  beam  that  ran 
across  the  ceiling.  As  the  manner  of  Lightfoot  was 
suspicious,  he  was  taken  into  custody. 

On  the  17th  his  brother  William  was  arrested  in 
consequence  of  a  remark  to  a  man  named  Vercoe  that 
he  was  in  it  as  well  as  James.  He  was  examined  before 
a  magistrate,  and  made  the  following  confession  : — 

**I  went  to  Bodmin  last  Saturday  week,  the  8th 
instant,  and  on  returning  I  met  my  brother  James  just 
at  the  head  of  Dunmeer  Hill.  It  was  just  come  dim- 
like. My  brother  had  been  to  Burlorn,  Egloshayle,  to 
buy  potatoes.  Something  had  been  said  about  meet- 
ing ;  but  I  was  not  certain  about  that.  My  brother 
was  not  in  Bodmin  on  that  day.  Mr.  Vercoe  overtook 
us  between  Mount  Charles  Turnpike  Gate  at  the  top  of 
Dunmeer  Hill  and  a  place  called  Lane  End.  We  came 
on  the  turnpike  road  all  the  way  till  we  came  to  the 
house  near  the  spot  where  the  murder  was  committed. 
We  did  not  go  into  the  house,  but  hid  ourselves  in  a 
field.  My  brother  knocked  Mr.  Norway  down  ;  he 
snapped  a  pistol  at  him  twice,  and  it  did  not  go  off. 
Then  he  knocked  him  down  with  the  pistol.  He  was 
struck  whilst  on  horseback.  It  was  on  the  turnpike 
road  between  Pencarrow  Mill  and  the  directing-post 
towards  Wadebridge.  I  cannot  say  at  what  time  of 
the  night  it  was.  We  left  the  body  in  the  water  on  the 
left  side  of  the  road  coming  to  Wadebridge.  We  took 
money  in  a  purse,  but  I  do  not  know  how  much  it  was. 
It  was  a  brownish  purse.  There  were  some  papers, 
which  my  brother  took  and  pitched  away  in  a  field  on 
the  left-hand  side  of  the  road,  into  some  browse  or  furze. 
The  purse  was  hid  by  me  in  my  garden,  and  afterwards 
I  threw  it  over   Pendavey  Bridge.     My  brother  drew 


THE   MURDER  OF  NEVILL  NORWAY  121 

the  body  across  the  road  to  the  water.  We  did  not 
know  whom  we  stopped  till  when  my  brother  snapped 
the  pistol  at  him.  Mr.  Norway  said,  '  I  know  what  you 
are  about.  I  see  you.'  We  went  home  across  the 
fields.  We  were  not  disturbed  by  any  one.  The  pistol 
belonged  to  my  brother.  I  don't  know  whether  it  was 
broken  ;  I  never  saw  it  afterwards  ;  and  I  do  not  know 
what  became  of  it.  I  don't  know  whether  it  was  soiled 
with  blood.  I  did  not  see  any  blood  on  my  brother's 
clothes.  We  returned  together,  crossing  the  river  at 
Pendavey  Bridge  and  the  Treraren  fields  to  Burlorn 
village.  My  brother  then  went  to  his  house  and  I  to 
mine.  I  think  it  was  handy  about  eleven  o'clock.  I 
saw  my  brother  again  on  the  Sunday  morning.  He 
came  to  my  house.  There  was  nobody  there  but  my 
own  family.  He  said,  '  Dear  me,  Mr.  Norway  is  killed.' 
I  did  not  make  any  reply." 

The  prisoner  upon  this  was  remanded  to  Bodmin 
gaol,  where  his  brother  was  already  confined,  and  on 
the  way  he  pointed  out  the  furze  bush  in  which  the 
tablet  and  the  keys  of  the  deceased  were  to  be  found. 
James  Lightfoot,  in  the  meantime,  had  also  made  a 
confession,  in  which  he  threw  the  guilt  of  the  murder 
upon  his  brother  William. 

This  latter,  when  in  prison,  admitted  that  his  confes- 
sion had  not  been  altogether  true.  He  and  his  brother 
had  met  by  appointment,  with  full  purpose  to  rob  the 
Rev.  W.  Molesworth,  of  S.  Breock,  returning  from 
Bodmin  market,  and  when  James  had  snapped  his 
pistol  twice  at  Mr.  Norway,  he,  William,  had  struck 
him  with  a  stick  on  the  back  of  his  head  and  felled 
him  from  his  horse,  whereupon  James  had  battered  his 
head  and  face  with  the  pistol. 

The  two  wretched  men  were  tried  at  Bodmin  on 
March  30th,  1840,  before  Mr.  Justice  Coltman,  and  the 


122  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

jury  returned  a  verdict  of  "Guilty"  ;  they  were  accord- 
ingly both  sentenced  to  death,  and  received  the 
sentence  with  great  stolidity. 

Up  to  this  time  the  brothers  had  been  allowed  no 
opportunity  for  communication,  and  the  discrepancy  in 
their  stories  distinctly  enough  showed  that  the  object 
of  each  was  to  screen  himself  and  to  secure  the  convic- 
tion of  the  other. 

After  the  passing  of  the  sentence  on  them,  they  were 
conveyed  to  the  same  cell,  and  were  now,  for  the  first 
time,  allowed  to  approach  each  other.  They  had 
scarcely  met  before,  in  the  most  hardened  manner,  they 
broke  out  into  mutual  recrimination,  using  the  most 
horrible  and  abusive  language  of  each  other,  and, 
not  content  with  this,  they  flew  at  each  other's  throat, 
so  that  the  gaolers  were  obliged  to  interfere  and  separate 
them  and  confine  them  in  separate  apartments. 

On  April  7th  their  families  were  admitted  to  bid  them 
farewell,  and  the  scene  was  most  distressing.  On 
Monday  morning,  April  13th,  they  were  both  executed, 
and  it  was  said  that  upwards  of  ten  thousand  persons 
had  assembled  to  witness  their  end. 

As  Mr.  Norway's  family  was  left  in  most  straitened 
circumstances,  a  collection  was  made  for  them  in  Corn- 
wall, and  the  sum  of  ;!^350o  was  raised  on  their  behalf. 

William  Lightfoot  was  aged  thirty-six  and  James 
thirty-three  when  hanged  at  Bodmin. 

There  is  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Norway 
in  Egloshayle  Church. 

In  the  Cornwall  Gazette,  17th  April,  1840,  the 
portraits  of  the  murderers  were  given.  Mention  is 
made  of  the  tragedy  in  C.  Carlyon's  Early  Years,  1843. 
He  gives  the  following  story.  At  the  time  of  the 
murder,  Edmund  Norway,  the  brother  of  Nevill,  was  in 
command    of  a    merchant    vessel,    the    Orient,    on    his 


THE   MURDER  OF  NEVILL  NORWAY  123 

voyage  from  Manilla  to  Cadiz.     He  wrote  on  the  same 
day  as  the  murder  : — 

"  Ship  Orient,  from  Manilla  to  Cadiz, 

''Feb.  8th,  1840. 

**  About  7.30  p.m.  the  island  of  S.  Helena,  N.N.W., 
distant  about  seven  miles,  shortened  sail  and  rounded 
to,  with  the  ship's  head  to  the  eastward  ;  at  eight,  set 
the  watch  and  went  below — wrote  a  letter  to  my  brother, 
Nevell  Norway.  About  twenty  minutes  or  a  quarter 
before  ten  o'clock  went  to  bed — fell  asleep,  and  dreamt 
I  saw  two  men  attack  my  brother  and  murder  him. 
One  caught  the  horse  by  the  bridle  and  snapped  a 
pistol  twice,  but  I  heard  no  report ;  he  then  struck  him 
a  blow,  and  he  fell  off  the  horse.  They  struck  him 
several  blows,  and  dragged  him  by  the  shoulders 
across  the  road  and  left  him.  In  my  dream  there  was 
a  house  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road.  At  five  o'clock 
I  was  called,  and  went  on  deck  to  take  charge  of  the 
ship.  I  told  the  second  officer,  Mr.  Henry  Wren,  that 
I  had  had  a  dreadful  dream,  and  dreamt  that  my 
brother  Nevell  was  murdered  by  two  men  on  the  road 
from  S.  Columb  to  Wadebridge ;  but  I  was  sure  it 
could  not  be  there,  as  the  house  there  would  have  been 
on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  road,  but  it  must  have 
been  somewhere  else.  He  replied,  '  Don't  think  any- 
thing about  it ;  you  West-country  people  are  super- 
stitious ;  you  will  make  yourself  miserable  the  re- 
mainder of  the  passage.  He  then  left  the  general 
orders  and  went  below.  It  was  one  continued  dream 
from  the  time  I  fell  asleep  until  I  was  called,  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"Edmund  Norway, 

''Chief  Officer,  Ship  Orient:' 

There  are  some  difficulties  about  this  account.     It  is 


124  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

dated,  as  may  be  seen,  February  8th,  but  it  must  have 
been  written  on  February  9th,  after  Mr.  Norway  had 
had  the  dream,  and  the  date  must  refer  to  the  letter 
written  to  his  brother  and  to  the  dream,  and  not  to  the 
time  when  the  account  was  penned. 

From  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  S.  Helena  the 
course  would  be  about  N.N.W.,  and  with  a  fair  wind 
the  ship  would  cover  about  eighty  or  ninety  miles  in 
eight  hours.  So  that  at  noon  of  the  day  February 
8th  she  would  be  about  one  hundred  miles  S.S.E.  of 
S.  Helena,  i.e.  in  about  5°  W.  longitude,  as  nearly 
as  possible.  The  ship's  clock  would  then  be  set,  and 
they  would  keep  that  time  for  letter-writing  purposes, 
meals,  ship  routine,  etc. 

Ship,  long.  .         .         5°    o      o"  W. 

Bodmin  ,,     .         .         .  4"  40'     o"  W. 

Difference       .  20'     o" 

The  difference  would  be  twenty  minutes  of  longitude, 
and  the  difference  in  time  between  the  two  places  one 
degree  apart  is  four  minutes.    Reduce  this  to  seconds  : — 

4  X  60  X  20 


60 


=  80  sec,  i.e.  i   min.   20  sec. 


Therefore,  if  the  murder  was  committed,  say,  at 
10 h.  30  m.  p.m.  Bodmin  time,  the  time  on  the  ship's 
clock  would  be  loh.  28m.  40s.  p.m.  An  inconsiderable 
difference. 

The  log-book  of  Edmund  Norway  is  said  to  be  still  in 
existence. 

One  very  remarkable  point  deserves  notice.  In  his 
dream  Mr.  Edmund  Norway  saw  the  house  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  road,  and  as  he  remembered,  on  waking,  that 
the  cottage  was  on  the  left  hand,  he  consoled  himself 
with  the  thought  that  if  the  dream  was  incorrect  in  one 


THE  MURDER  OF  NEVILL  NORWAY   125 

point  it  might  be  in  the  whole.  But  he  was  unaware 
that  during  his  absence  from  England  the  road  from 
Bodmin  to  Wadebridge  had  been  altered,  and  that  it 
had  been  carried  so  that  the  position  of  the  house  was 
precisely  as  he  saw  it  in  his  dream,  and  the  reverse  of 
what  he  had  remembered  it  to  be. 

Another  point  to  be  mentioned  is  that  one  of  the 
murderers  wore  on  that  occasion  a  coat  which  Mr. 
Norway  had  given  him  a  few  weeks  before,  out  of 
charity. 

Both  brothers  protested  that  they  had  not  purposed 
the  murder  of  Mr.  Norway  but  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moles- 
worth,  parson  of  S.  Breock,  who  they  supposed  was 
returning  with  tithe  in  his  pocket.  This,  however,  did 
not  agree  with  the  evidence  that  William  Lightfoot  had 
watched  him  counting  his  money  at  Bodmin,  and  then 
had  made  off. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  discovery  of  the  murder.  Sir 
William  Molesworth  sent  his  bloodhounds  to  track  the 
murderers,  but  because  they  ran  in  a  direction  opposed 
to  that  which  the  constables  supposed  was  the  right 
one  they  were  recalled.  The  hounds  were  right,  the 
constables  wrong. 


SIR  WILLIAM  LOWER,  KNT. 

SIR  WILLIAM  LOWER  was  the  only  son 
of  John  Lower,  and  was  born  at  Tremere,  in 
S.  Tudy,  about  the  year  1600. 
The  Lowers  were  a  very  ancient  family  in 
Cornwall,  seated  in  S.  Winnow  parish,  and  at  Clifton, 
in  Landulph,  at  which  latter  place  lived  Sir  Nicholas 
Lower,  the  brother  of  John,  whilst  the  eldest  brother,  Sir 
William,  settled  at  Treventy,  in  Carmarthen,  having 
married  the  daughter  and  co-heiress  of  Sir  Thomas 
Pescott,  of  that  place.  John  had  two  other  brothers 
knights,  Sir  Francis  and  Sir  Thomas. 

William  was  not  educated  at  Oxford,  but,  as  Wood 
says,  "spent  some  time  in  Oxon,  in  the  condition  of 
hospes,  for  the  sake  of  the  public  library  and  scholastical 
company."  He  exhibited  a  **  gay  fancy,"  and  a  mighty 
aversion  from  the  dry  and  crabbed  studies  of  logic  and 
philosophy. 

Leaving  Oxford,  he  spent  some  time  in  France,  where 
he  became  a  master  of  the  French  tongue,  and  acquired 
a  great  admiration  for  the  dramatic  compositions  of 
Corneille,  Quirault,  and  Ceriziers,  and  in  after  years 
amused  himself  with  translating  some  of  their  plays. 

When  the  troubles  broke  out  in  England  he  took 
the  King's  side,  and  in  1640  was  a  lieutenant  in  Sir 
Jacob  Ashley's  regiment  in  Northumberland's  army 
against  the  Scotch  Covenanters,  and  was  then  ap- 
pointed captain,  but  lost  his  company,  that  proved 
mutinous  and  deserted.     *'  It  was  a  marvellous  thing," 

126 


OJ    '     )I   ''^UOri^r^- 
FulNayii  I  ace  Iv  WjcAarcI/enJV'j/  //ronc^ 


SIR   WILLIAM    LOWER,    KNT.  127 

says  a  writer  of  the  time,  *'to  observe  the  averseness 
of  the  common  soldiers  to  this  war.  Though  com- 
manders and  gentlemen  of  great  quality,  in  pure 
obedience  to  the  King,  seemed  not  at  all  to  dispute 
the  cause  or  consequence  of  this  war,  the  common 
soldiers  would  not  be  satisfied,  questioning,  in  a 
mutinous  manner,  whether  their  captains  were  papists 
or  not,  and  in  many  places  were  not  appeased  till 
they  saw  them  receive  the  sacrament ;  laying  violent 
hands  on  divers  of  their  commanders,  and  killing 
some,  uttering  in  bold  speeches  their  distaste  of 
the  cause,  to  the  astonishment  of  many,  that  common 
people  should  be  sensible  of  public  interest  and  religion, 
when  lords  and  gentlemen  seemed  not  to  be." 

In  June,  1644,  being  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  Thomas 
Blague's  regiment  and  lieutenant-governor  of  Walling- 
ford,  Lower  received  orders  from  the  King  to  raise  ^^50 
a  week  from  the  town  of  Reading.  Lower  at  once  laid 
hands  on  the  mayor  and  carried  him  to  Wallingford  as 
a  hostage  ;  he  then  plied  the  corporation  with  demands 
for  the  money,  without  which  their  head  would  not  be 
restored  to  them.  The  corporation,  however,  did  not 
value  their  mayor  so  highly  that  they  were  disposed  to 
pay  ;^50  per  week  for  the  privilege  of  having  him  re- 
stored to  them.  Lower  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
garrison  of  Abingdon  on  19th  January,  1645-6,  and 
Charles  rewarded  him  for  his  zeal  by  conferring  on  him 
knighthood. 

He  remained  in  England  for  nearly  ten  more  years 
and  saw  the  ruin  of  the  Royal  cause,  which  he  did 
care  for,  and  of  the  Church,  for  which  he  cared  not 
a  rush.  In  1655  he  quitted  England  and  went  to 
Cologne,  which  was  full  of  refugees,  and  there  he  was 
cheered  with  the  tidings  that  Oliver  Cromwell  was 
failing  in  health  and  had  not  long  to  live.     Leaving 


128  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Cologne,  after  a  brief  residence  there,  he  "took 
sanctuary  in  Holland,  where  in  peace  and  privacy  he 
enjoyed  the  society  of  the  Muses,"  says  Langhorn. 

His  The  Phoenix  in  Her  Flames^  a  tragedy  in  four 
acts,  had  been  published  in  1639.  The  Innocent  Lady, 
or  the  Illustrions  Innocence^  translated  from  the  French 
of  R.  de  Ceriziers,  was  published  in  1654.  Now  in 
Holland  he  worked  hard  at  other  translations,  and  he 
was  the  more  able  to  do  this  at  ease,  as  the  Princess 
Royal  Mary  of  Orange  seems  to  have  taken  him 
into  her  retinue  at  the  Hague.  If  the  Court  was 
anything  like  what  it  was  when  James  Howell  was 
there,  it  must  have  been  vastly  dull  for  the  lively 
and  dissolute  Sir  William  Lower.  But  his  stay 
was  enlivened  by  the  arrival  of  Charles  and  the  in- 
trigues there  carried  on  with  the  well-affected  in  Eng- 
land. 

At  the  Hague  he  issued  a  thin  royal  folio,  with 
many  plates,  entitled  "A  relation  in  form  of  Journal 
of  the  voiage  and  residence  which  the  most  excellent  and 
most  mighty  Prince,  Charles  the  H,  King  of  Great 
Britain,  etc. ,  hath  made  in  Holland,  from  the  25th  of  May 
to  the  2nd  of  June,  1660,  rendered  into  English  from  the 
original  French.  By  Sir  W.  Lower,  Knt.  Printed 
by  Adrian  Ulack."  This  was  published  in  Dutch, 
French,  and  English,  and  at  the  end  of  the  volume 
Sir  W.  Lower  inserted  his  poems,  and  an  apology  for 
the  "tardive  appearance  (of  the  book)  due  to  those 
men  who  grave  the  plates." 

Such  "poems"  as  he  has  given  as  his  own  show 
conclusively  enough  that  he  was  not  a  poet,  but  a  mere 
hammerer  together  of  rhymes. 

In  June,  1660,  calculating  on  his  services  rendered 
to  Charles  I  and  to  the  sumptuous  book  on  the  resi- 
dence in  Holland  of  Charles  II  that  he  had  brought 


SIR   WILLIAM    LOWER,   KNT.  129 

out,  Lower  appealed  to  Secretary  Nicholas  from  The 
Hague  to  obtain  for  him  some  place  in  the  King's 
service.  But  the  death  of  his  cousin  Thomas,  only- 
son  of  Sir  William  Lower,  of  Treventy,  who  died  on 
5th  February,  1661,  by  which  he  became  sole  heir, 
executor,  and  chief  representative  of  the  family,  re- 
called him  to  England.  He  did  not,  however,  enjoy  ease 
long,  for  he  died  in  the  ensuing  year,  1662,  leaving  an 
only  child,  Elizabeth,  who  probably  died  early,  for 
nothing  further  is  known  of  her  than  that  she  was  in 
existence  when  her  father  died.  Who  the  wife  of  Sir 
William  Lower  was  is  not  known. 

His  cousin,  Dr.  Richard  Lower,  of  S.  Paul's, 
Covent  Garden,  who  gave  Wood  information  relative 
to  his  kinsman,  described  him  as  "an  ill  poet  and  a 
worse  man." 

His  long  residence  abroad,  his  dissociation  from 
Cornwall  for  all  his  life  save  his  early  boyhood,  his 
separation  from  his  kinsmen,  had  broken  all  the  ties 
that  linked  him  to  his  family  and  county  ;  and  when 
he  inherited  the  estates  and  was  in  a  position  to  assist 
his  kinsmen  who  had  been  greatly  reduced  by  the 
civil  wars,  "he  did  not,  but  followed  the  vices  of 
poets." 


THE  PIRATES  AT  PENZANCE 

jA   N  event  occurred  at  Penzance  in  the  year  1760 
/^L        that   deserves   to   be    remembered.      Great 

r — ^  Britain  had  been  engaged  in  the  Seven 
-^  -^-  Years  War ;  and  notwithstanding  the 
successes  of  1759,  when  Rodney  bombarded  Havre, 
Boscawen  had  routed  and  dispersed  the  Toulon  fleet  off 
Lagos,  and  Hawke  had  defeated  the  fleet  of  De  Con- 
flans  near  Quiberon,  there  was  still  a  certain  amount  of 
alarm  in  the  country,  a  dread  of  predatory  incursions, 
and  if  this  fear  existed  inland,  it  was  most  acute  upon 
the  coast. 

On  the  night  of  the  29-3oth  September  Penzance 
was  alarmed  by  the  firing  of  guns,  and  soon  after  by 
the  intelligence  that  a  large  ship  of  a  strange  appear- 
ance had  run  ashore  near  Newlyn.  Half  Penzance 
poured  out  in  that  direction  in  the  grey  of  early  morn- 
ing. But  on  reaching  the  strand  they  were  panic- 
stricken  to  see  on  the  ship,  and  drawn  up  on  the  beach, 
a  number  of  ferocious-looking  individuals  with  baggy 
trousers,  and  red  fezes  on  their  heads,  and  each  armed 
with  a  scimitar,  and  with  brass-mounted  pistols  stuck  in 
their  girdles.  Thereupon  the  half  of  Penzance  that  had 
turned  out  now  turned  tail  and  made  the  best  of  their 
way  back  to  the  town,  crying  out  that  the  Turks  had 
landed  and  were  intent  on  massacring  the  inhabitants  of 
Penzance,  plundering  their  houses,  and  carrying  away 
their  wives  and  children  into  captivity  to  become  galley- 
slaves  or  to  fill  the  harems  of  these  Moslem  monsters. 

130 


THE    PIRATES   AT   PENZANCE  131 

A  volunteer  company  was  called  out,  the  drum  beat 
to  arms,  and  marched  to  the  beach,  where  they  found 
172  men,  who  were  surrounded,  deprived  of  their 
weapons,  and  marched  to  a  spacious  building  called 
''The  Folly,"  that  stood  on  the  Western  Green.  As 
there  were  some  of  the  captives  who  could  speak  the 
lingua  franca^  and  there  was  here  and  there  to  be 
found  a  magistrate  or  an  officer  who  had  a  limited 
knowledge  of  French,  it  was  at  last  elicited  from  these 
men  that  they  were  the  crew  of  an  Algerine  corsair, 
carrying  twenty-four  guns,  from  nine  to  six  pounders. 
The  captain,  believing  himself  to  be  in  the  Atlantic, 
somewhere  about  the  latitude  of  Cadiz,  had  cheerily  in 
the  dark  run  his  vessel  into  Mount's  Bay,  and  was 
vastly  surprised  when  she  struck,  and  still  more  so 
when  he  found  himself  surrounded  by  Cornishmen  and 
not  by  Spaniards.     He  had  lost  eight  men,  drowned. 

No  sooner  was  this  bruited  about  than  a  second 
panic  set  in,  and  the  good  citizens  of  Penzance  went 
into  hysterics  of  fear  lest  these  Algerine  pirates  should 
have  brought  with  them  an  invasion  of  the  plague. 

A  cordon  of  volunteers  was  accordingly  drawn  up 
round  ''The  Folly"  to  prevent  all  intercourse,  intelli- 
gence was  conveyed  to  the  Government,  and  orders 
were  issued  for  troops  to  march  from  Plymouth  so  as 
to  surround  the  whole  district.  However,  the  local 
authorities  recovered  from  their  terror  or  apprehension 
in  time  to  send  off  information  that  there  was  no  cause 
for  such  a  measure,  and  the  orders  were  counter- 
manded. 

After  some  days,  when  no  case  of  plague  had  revealed 
itself  among  the  captives,  the  people  of  the  town  and 
neighbourhood  were  suffered  to  approach  and  contem- 
plate the  strangers.  Their  Oriental  dress,  their  long 
beards    and    moustaches,    the    dark    complexion    and 


132  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

glittering  eyes  of  the  piratical  band,  made  them  objects 
of  curiosity.  But  they  still  inspired  so  much  fear  that 
few  ventured  to  approach  near  to  them. 

Upon  the  whole,  they  were  kindly  treated,  and  finally, 
as  their  vessel  was  a  complete  wreck,  a  man-of-war  was 
despatched  to  take  all  the  men  on  board  and  convey 
them  back  to  Algiers. 


DAME    KILLIGREW 

THE  Killigrew  family  is  one  of  the  most 
ancient  in  Cornwall.  It  takes  its  name  from 
Killigrew  in  the  parish  of  S.  Erme.  Here 
stands  the  old  nest  of  the  family  beside  the 
high  road  from  Truro  that  falls  into  that  from  Redruth 
to  Bodmin,  at  Casland.  It  is  now  represented  by  a 
couple  of  insignificant  cottages,  without  old  trees 
surrounding  it,  and  the  only  hint  that  it  was  once  the 
seat  of  a  distinguished  family  is  found  in  the  remains 
of  the  deerpark. 

The  genuine  pedigree  of  the  family  goes  back  to 
Ralph  Killigrew  of  Killigrew,  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
III.  In  that  of  Richard  II,  Simon  Killigrew  married 
Janej  daughter  and  heiress  of  Robert  of  Arwenack,  near 
Penryn,  and  he  quitted  the  ancestral  mansion  to  move 
to  his  wife's  house  that  was  planted  in  a  less  bleak 
situation  and  was  on  the  estuary  of  the  Fal. 

In  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  Sir  John  Killigrew 
of  Arwenack,  was  Captain  in  Command  of  Pendennis 
Castle.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Philip  Wolver- 
ston  and  widow  of  Henry  Knyvett  of  an  Eastern 
counties  family,  but  her  son  by  Henry  Knyvett  settled 
in  Cornwall,  at  Rosemorryn  in  S.  Budoc.  Sir  John 
pulled  down  the  greater  portion  of  the  ancient  house 
and  built  himself  another,  very  stately  in  the  style  of 
the  times  —  but,  alas!  this  also  has  disappeared,  for 
when  Sir  William  Waller  approached  Pendennis,  to 
besiege  it  on   behalf  of  the  Parliament,  the  Governor 

i33 


134  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

of  the  Castle  set  fire  to  Arwenack  lest  it  should 
give  harbour  to  the  enemy. 

Sir  John  had  a  son,  also  called  John,  who  married 
Dorothy,  daughter  of  the  impecunious  Sir  Thomas 
Monck,  Knt.,  of  Potheridge,  which  Sir  Thomas  died 
in  the  debtors'  gaol  at  S.  Thomas',  by  Exeter,  John 
and  Dorothy  had  a  son,  Sir  John  Killigrew,  aged 
twenty-two  on  his  father's  death  in  1605. 

Now  it  fell  out  that  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  on  his  home- 
ward voyage  from  Guiana  put  into  Falmouth  harbour, 
and  found  there,  where  the  town  now  stands,  only  a 
fisherman's  cottage.  Killigrew,  however,  hospitably 
entertained  Sir  Walter,  who  expressed  his  surprise  that 
so  fine  a  harbour  should  have  no  accommodation  for 
sailors  sheltering  there,  and  when  he  went  to  town 
memorialized  King  James  on  the  subject.  He  had 
fired  the  imagination  of  his  host.  Sir  John,  and  he 
also  petitioned  the  King  to  grant  him  a  royal  licence 
to  build  four  houses,  where  now  stands  Falmouth,  for 
the  convenience  of  sailors.  This  roused  the  wrath  of 
the  people  of  Penryn  further  up  the  river,  who  saw 
that  four  houses  would  bring  in  their  wake  many  more, 
and  would  draw  away  the  trade,  and  cut  off  the  pros- 
perity of  Penryn.  Accordingly  they  used  every  possible 
endeavour  to  obstruct  the  project.  Sir  John  made 
several  journeys  to  London,  but  it  was  only  by  spend- 
ing a  great  deal  of  money  in  fees  and  bribery  of 
officials  that  he  was  able  to  obtain  the  licence  ;  and  by 
so  doing  he  incurred  the  implacable  resentment  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Penryn. 

We  will  now  let  Martin  Killigrew  continue  the  story. 
He  wrote  a  history  of  the  family  in  1737  or  1738.  We 
will  somewhat  simplify  the  reading  by  giving  **the" 
for  "y^" 

"  The  last  Sir  John  Killigrew  was  hardly  got  over  this 


THE    KII.I.YGREW    CUP 

"  1633.       FROM    MAIOR    TO   MAIOR   TO   THE   TOWNE    OF    PERMARIX, 

WHERE   THEY    RECEIVED    MEE   THAT    WAS    IX    GREAT    MISERY" 

JANE    KILLYGREW 
This  Cup  has  been  recently  valued  at  the  sum  0/  ;t4,ooo. 
//  iiieasn7-es  just  tivo  feet  in  height 


DAME    KILLIGREW  135 

difficulty,  when  he  fell  under  a  much  greater  affliction,  the 
prostitution  of  his  wife,  who  caused  herself  to  be  called, 
or  unaccountably  was  known  by  the  name  of  Lady  Jane." 
He  has  already  stated,  "Sir  John  Killigrew,  a  sober, 
good  man,  to  his  utter  undoing,  married  the  daughter 
of  an  ancient  and  honourable  family,  new  in  the  peer- 
age, in  respect  to  whom  I  forbear  the  name  ;  making 
herself  infamous,  and  first  debauched  by  the  Governor 
of  Pendennis  Castle."  This  lady  was  Jane,  daughter  of 
Sir  George  Fermon,  of  Northampton.  Sir  William, 
his  brother,  was  created  Baron  Leominster  in  1622, 
whose  son  was  given  the  earldom  of  Pomfret  in  1721. 

"  Arrived  to  that  shameful  degree.  Sir  John,  in  point 
of  honour  and  for  quietness  of  mind,  found  himself 
under  a  necessity  to  prosecute  a  divorce  from  her  in  the 
Archbishop's  Court,  which  lasted  so  many  years  and 
[was]  so  very  expensive,  as  quite  ruined  his  estate,  to 
the  degree  of  his  being  often  put  to  very  hard  shifts  to 
get  home  from  London  upon  the  frequent  recesses  in  the 
process,  but  at  length  obtained  the  divorce  in  all  its 
formal  extent.  This  woman  in  such  long  contest  was 
in  no  degree  protected  by  her  family,  but  supported 
and  cherished  by  the  town  of  Penryn,  from  their 
jealousy  and  hatred  of  Arwenack,  as  specially  ap- 
pears to  this  day,  by  plate  by  her  given  to  the  Mayor 
and  Corporation  of  Penryn,  when  she  came  into  her 
jointure,  as  an  acknowledgment  for  such  protection.^ 
Sir  John  did  not  long  outlive  such  his  divorce,  dying 
in  1632." 

Hals  says:  "Jane  Killigrew,  widow  of  Sir  John 
Killigrew,  Knt.,  in  the  Spanish  wars  in  the  latter  end 

1  The  cup  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  Corporation  of  Penryn.  It 
is  of  silver,  will  hold  about  three  quarts,  and  is  inscribed  :  "  From  Mayor 
to  Mayor  of  the  town  of  Penryn,  where  they  received  me  in  great  misery. 
Jane  Killygrew,  1613." 


136  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

of  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  went  on  board  two 
Dutch  ships  of  the  Hans  Towns  (always  free  traders  in 
times  of  war)  driven  into  Falmouth  harbour  by  cross 
winds,  laden  with  merchandise,  on  account  (as  was 
said)  of  Spaniards,  and  with  a  numerous  party  of 
ruffians,  murdered  the  two  Spanish  merchants  or 
factors  on  board  these  ships,  and  took  from  them  two 
barrels  or  hogsheads  of  Spanish  pieces  of  eight,  and 
converted  them  to  her  own  use." 

"Now,  though  Fleta  (lib.  i.  c.  iii.,  temp.  Edward 
II)  tells  us  that  it  is  no  murder  except  it  be  proved  that 
the  party  slain  was  English,  and  no  stranger,  yet 
afterwards  by  the  statute  4  Edward  HI,  the  killing 
any  foreigner  under  the  King's  protection,  out  of  evil 
design  or  malice,  is  murder  ;  upon  which  statute  these 
offenders  were  tried  and  found  guilty  at  Launceston  of 
wilful  murder,  both  by  the  grand  and  petty  juries,  and 
had  sentence  of  death  passed  accordingly  upon  them, 
and  were  all  executed,  except  the  said  Lady  Killigrew, 
the  principal  agent  and  contriver  of  the  barbarous  fact, 
who,  by  the  interest  and  favour  of  Sir  John  Arundell, 
of  Tolverne,  Knt.,  and  his  son-in-law.  Sir  Nicholas 
Hals,  of  Pengersick,  Knt.,  obtained  of  Queen  Elizabeth 
a  pardon  or  reprieve  for  the  said  lady,  which  was 
seasonably  put  into  the  Sheriff  of  Cornwall's  hands. 

"  At  the  news  whereof  the  other  condemned  wretches 
aforesaid  at  the  gallows  lamented  nothing  more  than  that 
they  had  not  the  company  of  that  old  Jezebel  Killigrew 
at  that  place  as  in  justice  they  ought  to  be  (to  use  their 
own  words),  and  begged  Almighty  God  that  some  re- 
markable judgment  might  befall  her  and  her  posterity, 
nay,  and  all  those  that  were  instrumental  in  procuring 
her  freedom,  and  observed  hereupon  it  was,  that  her 
grandson  Sir  William  Killigrew  spent  the  whole 
paternal    estate  of  his  ancestors,   as  did   Sir  Thomas 


DAME    KILLIGREW  137 

Arundell,  Knt.,  son  of  Sir  John  Arundell,  aforesaid, 
and  John  Hals,  Esq.,  son  of  Sir  Nicolas  Hals,  Knt.,  in 
their  own  times,  but  alas,  several  and  public  revolu- 
tions of  this  kind  ;  and  all  other  in  worldly  affairs  are 
carried  on  by  the  judgment  and  providence  of  God, 
not  the  determination  of  men,  especially  such  barbarous 
ruffians  as  these  criminals,  though  these  things  hap- 
pened according  to  the  malefactors'  direful  imprecations 
in  some  sense." 

Hals  in  the  above  account  makes  several  blunders. 
The  affair  to  which  he  alludes  took  place  in  January, 
1583,  and  the  Dame  Killigrew  who  was  involved  in  it 
was  Mary,  wife  of  Sir  John,  the  grandfather  of  the 
Sir  John  who  divorced  his  wife  Jane,  Another  mistake 
is  that  the  ship  was  not  one  of  the  Hanseatic  town  mer- 
chant vessels,  but  was  Spanish.  Moreover,  Hals  is 
wrong  in  saying  that  the  two  Spanish  merchants  were 
murdered.  On  the  contrary,  Lady  Killigrew's  ruffians 
threw  overboard  and  drowned  the  whole  ship's  crew, 
with  the  exception  of  the  two  merchants,  who  were  on 
shore  and  so  escaped. 

The  facts  are  as  follows  : — 

The  Alary  of  S.  Sebastian,  a  Spanish  ship  of  144 
tons  burden,  owned  by  two  merchants,  John  de  Chavis 
and  Philip  de  Oryo,  the  latter  being  as  well  the  captain, 
arrived  in  Falmouth  harbour  on  January  ist,  1582-3, 
and  cast  anchor  within  the  bar,  just  under  Sir  John 
Killigrew's  house  of  Arwenack.  Here  for  lack  of 
wind  it  remained,  and  the  owners  went  on  shore  and 
took  up  their  quarters  in  an  inn  at  Penryn,  awaiting  a 
favourable  breeze.  At  this  time  there  was  no  open 
breach  of  peace  between  England  and  Spain.  It  was 
not  till  1585  that  Elizabeth  sent  over  an  army  into  the 
Netherlands  to  oppose  the  forces  of  Philip  H,  and  de- 
spatched a  fleet  under  Sir  Francis  Drake  into  the  West 


138  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Indies  to  molest  the  Spanish  galleons  and  colonies 
there. 

Lady  Killigrew  seems  to  have  formed  a  scheme  for 
robbing  the  merchant  vessel  and  massacring  the  crew 
and  the  owners,  and  several  efforts  were  made  to  induce 
the  two  merchants  to  quit  their  inn  at  Penryn  and 
return  on  board,  so  that  the  whole  of  those  on  the 
vessel  and  the  merchants  might  be  got  rid  of,  and  not 
a  witness  left.  However,  this  failed  ;  Chavis  and  Oryo 
did  not  return  to  their  ship. 

About  midnight  on  yth  January  a  boatload  of  men 
boarded  the  Spanish  vessel  and  overpowered  the  sailors, 
raised  the  anchors,  and  set  sail.  The  Spaniards  were 
all  either  butchered  or  thrown  into  the  sea.  The  ship 
was  then  taken  to  Ireland,  where  she  was  plundered 
and  the  spoil  divided.  But  before  this  was  done,  two 
of  Lady  Killigrew's  servants,  named  Kendal  and  Haw- 
kins, were  sent  back  to  Arwenack  with  sundry  bolts 
of  Hollands  and  leather,  as  the  share  of  Lady  Killigrew, 
her  kinswoman,  Mrs.  Killigrew,  and  the  maids  and  ser- 
vants in  the  house. 

Lady  Killigrew  was  highly  incensed  at  being  put  off 
with  so  little,  but  fume  as  she  might  she  could  do 
nothing,  for  the  ship  was  on  its  way  to  Ireland.  What 
she  did  accordingly  was  to  keep  all  that  was  sent  on 
shore  for  herself,  and  distribute  none  of  it  among  her 
household. 

The  two  merchants  now  stirred,  and  laid  formal 
complaint  before  the  Commissioners  for  Piracy  in 
Cornwall.  Among  these  was  Sir  John  Killigrew,  the 
husband  of  the  lady  who  had  contrived  or  abetted 
the  act.  A  meeting  was  held  at  Penryn,  and  sufficient 
evidence  was  produced  to  implicate  Hawkins  and 
Kendal  ;  but  this  they  were  able  to  rebut  by  the  testi- 
mony of  Elizabeth  Bowden,  who  kept  a  small  tavern 


DAME    KILLIGREW  139 

at  Penryn,  and  who  swore  that  up  to  the  time  that  the 
act  of  piracy  was  committed  the  two  men  Hawkins  and 
Kendal  were  drinking  in  her  inn.  The  jury  returned 
an  open  verdict  that  the  ship  had  certainly  been  stolen, 
but  by  whom  there  was  no  evidence  to  show. 

Chavis  and  De  Oryo  were  not  men  disposed  to  let 
the  matter  rest  thus,  and  having  procured  a  safe  con- 
duct to  London  from  the  Commissioners,  they  proceeded 
thither,  and  laid  their  complaint  before  the  higher 
authorities,  with  the  result  that  the  Earl  of  Bedford  in- 
structed Sir  Richard  Grenville  and  Mr.  Edmund 
Tremayne  to  make  a  searching  investigation  into  the 
affair. 

As  might  be  anticipated,  this  inquiry  was  more 
thorough-going  and  real  than  the  other,  and  the  truth 
was  at  last  elicited  from  witnesses  very  reluctant  to 
speak  what  they  knew.  The  result  arrived  at  was 
this  :— 

The  whole  plot  had  been  contrived  by  Dame  Killi- 
grew,  who  on  the  Sunday  in  question  ordered  Hawkins 
and  Kendal  to  board  the  Spaniard,  along  with  a  party 
of  sailors  and  fishermen  got  together  for  the  purpose. 
Moreover,  she  sent  a  messenger  by  boat  to  the  Gover- 
nor of  St.  Mawes  Castle,  to  inform  him  that  the 
Spanish  merchants  proposed  to  sail  that  night,  and  to 
request  him  not  to  hinder  them  from  so  doing.  The  other 
castle,  that  of  Pendennis,  commanding  the  entrance  to 
the  haven,  had  Sir  John  Killigrew  as  Governor,  and  in 
it  all  day  were  harboured  the  boarding-party  destined 
to  carry  off  the  merchantman. 

Hawkins,  who  was  the  ringleader,  had  been  sworn  to 
strict  secrecy  by  Lady  Killigrew,  who  desired  to  keep 
the  whole  transaction  from  the  knowledge  of  her  hus- 
band. The  leather  that  fell  to  her  share  was  placed  in  a 
cask  and  buried  in  the  garden  at  Arwenack.     Hawkins 


I40  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

and  Kendal  were  hanged  at  Launceston,  but  Lady  Killi- 
grew  escaped  as  Hals  relates.  Sir  John  died  next  year; 
when  Lady  Killigrew  died  is  not  known. 

On  the  death  of  the  later  Sir  John  in  1633,  Arwenack 
passed  to  his  nephew,  as  he  left  no  issue,  and  that 
nephew,  Sir  Peter  Killigrew,  married  Frances, 
daughter  and  co-heiress  of  Sir  Roger  Twysden.  He 
had  two  daughters,  and  a  son  George  who  came  to  an 
untimely  end. 

He  was  killed  in  a  drunken  brawl  in  a  tavern  at 
Penryn  by  Walter  Vincent,  barrister-at-law,  "who," 
says  Hals,  "  was  tried  for  his  life  at  Launceston  for  the 
fact,  and  acquitted  by  the  petty  jury,  through  bribery 
and  indiscreet  acts  and  practices,  as  was  generally  said; 
yet  this  Mr.  Vincent,  through  anguish  and  horror  at 
this  accident  (as  it  was  said),  within  two  years  after 
wasted  of  an  extreme  atrophy  of  his  flesh  and  spirits, 
that  at  length  at  the  table  whereby  he  was  sitting,  in 
the  Bishop  of  Exeter's  palace,  in  the  presence  of  divers 
gentlemen,  he  instantly  fell  back  against  the  wall  and 
died." 

Frances,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Sir  Peter  Killigrew, 
married  Richard  Erisey,  and  had  a  daughter  who 
became  the  wife  of  John  West,  of  Bury  S.  Edmunds, 
and  by  him  had  a  daughter  Frances,  who  married  the 
Hon.  Charles  Berkeley,  and  through  their  descent  the 
estates,  or  such  as  remained  of  the  old  family  of  Killi- 
grew, passed  to  the  Earl  of  Kimberley. 

The  history  of  the  Killigrew  family,  by  Martin 
Killigrew,  was  published  in  part  by  Mr.  R.  N.  Worth 
in  th^  Journal  of  the  Royal  Institution  of  Cornwall,  Vol. 
ni  (1868-70),  and  the  story  of  the  seizure  of  the  Spanish 
vessel  by  Dame  Killigrew  was  investigated  by  Mr. 
H.  M.  Whitley,  in  i\ieJoiirnal,Vo\.  VH  (1881-3). 


TWO    NATURALISTS    IN    CORNWALL 

THE  two  men  of  science  of  whom  a  sketch  is 
about  to  be  given  here  were  neither  of  them 
Cornishmen  by  birth  and  parentage,  but, 
inasmuch  as  a  long  stretch  of  the  life  of 
each  was  spent  in  the  delectable  duchy,  and  as  both 
were  well  known  in  it  and  made  it  the  principal 
field  of  their  labours,  they  deserve  a  place  in  this 
collection.  These  two  men  are  John  Ralfs,  the 
botanist,  and  George  Carter  Bignell,  the  entomologist. 
John  Ralfs  was  born  September  13,  1807,  at  Mill- 
brook,  near  Southampton.  His  father,  Samuel  Ralfs, 
died  when  he  was  a  year  old,  and  to  his  mother  was 
entrusted  his  early  training.  From  an  early  age  he 
manifested  a  passionate  love  of  flowers,  and  as  he 
grew  older  an  interest  in  chemistry.  Probably  on 
this  latter  account  he  decided  on  the  medical  pro- 
fession, and  whilst  studying  medicine  he  prosecuted 
botanical  research,  so  that  on  passing  his  final  exam- 
ination the  President  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons 
complimented  him  on  his  botanical  knowledge,  and 
predicted  that  the  world  would  one  day  hear  a  good 
deal  of  this  then  "  beardless  boy." 

He  married  a  Miss  Newman,  and  by  her  had  a  son, 
but  they  were  in  every  way  an  ill-suited  pair,  and  after 
a  while  they  agreed  to  part,  and  she  went  to  reside  in 
France,  taking  her  son  with  her. 

Fortunately  for  science,  Ralfs'  health  would  not 
stand  the  arduous  and  anxious  life  of  a  village  doctor, 

141 


142  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

and  he  threw  up  his  profession  and  wandered  about 
in  the  south  of  England,  a  friendless,  reserved,  and 
taciturn  man,  devoting  all  his  time  and  attention  to 
botany.  He  settled  finally  in  Penzance,  in  the  year 
1837,  ^^^  became  a  familiar  personality  in  the  west 
of  Cornwall,  rambling  over  the  moors,  creeping  into 
bogs,  often  on  hands  and  knees,  searching  for  rare 
plants;  "a  terror  to  timid  ladies,  who  would  scuttle 
away  like  frightened  rabbits  at  the  sight  of  this  dark, 
strange  man  hanging  over  some  deep  pool,  peering 
with  his  short-sighted  eyes  into  what  was  to  him 
a  paradise,  and  perhaps  calling  out  aloud,  forgetful 
that  he  and  nature  were  not  alone,  '  I  see  him  !  I've 
got  him  ! '  And  often  he  would  be  seen  resting  on 
a  stile,  weary  with  his  wanderings,  his  hat  and  coat 
almost  as  green  as  the  grass  on  one  of  his  favourite 
bogs,  the  marks  of  his  last  fray  fresh  upon  them,  his 
collar  disappearing,  apparently,  in  vain  search  of  his 
cravat ;  gazing  absently  into  the  distance,  where  he 
saw,  doubtless,  beautiful  and  rare  specimens  of  his 
Algae  and  Diatomaccce." 

Mr.  Ralfs  was  never  so  happy  as  when  alone  ;  he 
did  not  care  for  society,  least  of  all  that  of  women, 
and  grievous  deafness  made  it  difficult  for  him  to 
engage  in  conversation.  Even  with  men  of  science 
like  himself  he  did  not  care  to  associate,  except 
through  written  correspondence.  At  Penzance  he 
was  generally  regarded  as  "a  bit  total,"  a  little, 
perhaps  not  a  little,  off  his  head  ;  but  no  one  could 
have  other  than  a  kind  word  to  say  of  him,  for  he 
never  injured  any  one.  Occasionally  his  son  came 
from  France  to  pay  his  father  a  visit ;  but  such  visits 
were  brief;  their  tastes  were  not  the  same,  and  their 
outlook  into  life  was  different. 

Mr.  Ralfs  wrote  a  good  deal.     He  contributed  to  the 


5|- 
■J.  l" 

<  « 


TWO  NATURALISTS  IN  CORNWALL     143 

proceedings  of  many  learned  societies,  but  especially 
the  Edinburgh  Botanical  Society.  He  was  the  author 
of  the  botanical  chapter  in  the  Guide  to  Ilfracombe, 
and  of  the  "Sketch  of  the  Botany  of  West  Penwith  " 
in  Mr.  J.  S.  Courtney's  Guide  to  Penzance.  Mr. 
J.  T.  Blight  also  was  assisted  by  him  in  his  Week 
at  the  Land's  End.  He  helped  as  well  in  English 
Botany^  by  Sir  James  E.  Smith,  the  figures  by  James 
Sowerby.  He  composed,  moreover,  a  Flora  of  West 
Corn-mall  that  remains  in  MS.  in  the  Penzance  Public 
Library. 

Late  in  life  he  formed  a  tender  attachment  for  a  little 
child,  who  had  somehow  hitched  herself  on  to  him 
as  a  companion  in  his  rambles.  "The  first  overtures 
were  entirely  on  her  own  side,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  this  acquaintance  ripened  into  friendship.  She 
was  a  delicate  child,  and  her  playfellow — for  such  he 
became — prescribed  Fresh  Air  and  no  Lessons  ;  and  so 
off  they  would  go  for  long  country  walks,  much  to  the 
benefit  of  her  health,  but  to  the  detriment  of  her 
clothes.  Of  the  mustard  poultice  that  sometimes 
these  excursions  rendered  necessary,  and  which  could 
not  be  endured  unless  he  submitted  to  a  similar 
infliction  ;  of  the  delightful  dolls'  tea  parties  ;  of  the 
fairy  tales,  translated  solely  for  her  amusement  from 
the  French  and  German ;  of  his  selections  from 
Thackeray  and  Dickens,  whose  characters  were  thus 
made  living  people  to  her ;  of  the  wonders  that 
awaited  her  on  S.  Valentine's  Day,  when,  through 
his  skilful  management,  twenty  or  thirty  valentines 
were  to  arrive  for  her  from  different  parts  of  the 
country  ;  of  the  choice  variety  of  sweets  he  purchased 
for  her  stocking  at  Christmas ;  of  all  this,  I  wish 
I  could  discourse  at  greater  length.  It  is  sufficient 
to  say  that  this  friendship,  thus  begun,  lasted  to  the 


144  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

end  of  his  life,  and  was  the  means  of  relieving  to 
a  large  extent  that  solitude  which  had  before  sur- 
rounded him. 

"On  Midsummer  Day,  when  the  custom  is  to  wear 
wreaths  of  flowers,  he  would  give  free  permission  to 
the  children  to  pick  all  the  flowers  in  his  garden,  on 
condition  that  they  would  come  to  him  flower-crowned 
in  the  evening,  when  he  would  entertain  them  royally 
with  fruit  and  sweetmeats.  On  Corpus  Christi  Plea- 
sure Fair  (a  red-letter  day  for  little  Cornish  children) 
he  would  be  seen  with  a  small  crowd  of  boys  and  girls 
around  him,  whom  he  would  treat  to  all  the  various 
shows,  waiting  patiently,  until  their  curiosity  was  satis- 
fied, outside." 

One  great  delight  of  Mr.  Ralfs  was  the  naturalizing 
of  strange  plants  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Penzance, 
amongst  others  the  large-flowered  butterwort,  and  very 
much  amused  was  he  when  some  local  paper  with  a 
flourish  of  trumpets  announced  the  discovery  of  the 
Pinguicula  by  a  botanical  tourist,  and  a  claim  put 
forward  that  it  was  indigenous  to  Cornwall. 

John  Ralfs  died  14  July,  1890,  and  was  buried  at 
Penzance. 

The  second  naturalist,  Mr.  George  Carter  Bignell,  is 
happily  still  alive  and  in  full  intellectual  vigour,  and 
resides  in  Saltash.  He  is  a  native  of  Exeter,  having 
been  born  in  that  city  in  1826,  He  was  educated  at 
S.  John's  Hospital  in  his  native  town,  but  had  to  leave 
it  at  the  age  of  twelve,  when  he  was  placed  in  a  book- 
ing-office for  receiving  parcels  and  booking  passengers 
for  the  carriers  who  made  the  *'  Black  Lion  "  their 
head-quarters  when  in  Exeter.  These  carriers  came 
from  many  small  towns  from  twenty  to  fifty  miles  away. 
The  yard  and  stabling  were  connected  with  the  ''Black 


TWO  NATURALISTS  IN  CORNWALL     145 

Lion  "  and  the  Commercial  Inn,  South  Street,  and 
opposite  was  the  office.  Mr.  Bignell  says:  "Often 
have  I  seen  these  lumbering  wagons  with  twenty 
magnificent  horses  attached  to  them  start  from  the 
office,  the  driver  riding  a  cob  by  the  side.  Very  often 
such  a  wagon  would  be  conveying  gold  from  the 
ships  in  Falmouth  to  the  Bank  of  England,  and  in  that 
case  the  wagon  was  attended  by  a  guard  carrying  a 
blunderbuss." 

In  this  office  Mr.  Bignell  remained  till  he  was 
sixteen,  and  in  1842  he  joined  the  Royal  Marines  at 
Stonehouse.  He  saw  some  foreign  service,  and  was  on 
board  the  Superb  during  the  civil  war  in  Spain  in  1847, 
and  was  employed  on  the  coasts  of  Spain  and  Portugal. 
He  was  in  the  squadron  which  succeeded  in  capturing 
a  division  of  the  rebel  army  of  Count  Das  Anton,  con- 
sisting of  about  three  thousand  men.  Boats'  crews  put 
off  from  the  ships  of  the  squadron,  and  under  a  heavy 
fire  from  the  forts  boarded  and  captured  every  vessel. 
The  prisoners  were  conveyed  up  the  river  Tagus  to 
Fort  S,  Julian,  where,  after  being  deprived  of  arms 
and  ammunition,  they  were  safely  lodged. 

A  guard,  consisting  of  half  the  complement  of 
marines  from  each  ship,  was  placed  over  them,  the 
whole  body  under  the  command  of  Major  Stransham. 

A  few  days  after  the  capture  it  was  discovered  that 
ammunition  was  being  surreptitiously  conveyed  into 
the  fort  by  friends  of  the  rebels,  and  investigation  dis- 
closed that  a  plot  had  been  hatched  to  blow  up  the  fort. 

Count  Das  Anton  pretended  to  be  wholly  ignorant  of 
the  conspiracy.  The  rebels  were  paraded,  each  man 
searched,  and  every  nook  and  cranny  in  the  fort  thor- 
oughly overhauled.  A  large  quantity  of  gunpowder 
was  found,  and  this  was  promptly  wheeled  to  the  para- 
pets in  barrows  and  thrown  into  the  Tagus. 


146  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

The  guard  placed  over  this  large  body  of  prisoners 
was  small,  and  to  overawe  the  prisoners  all  the  marines 
from  the  ships  were  landed  every  evening  at  sunset 
and  marched  with  fixed  bayonets  to  the  fort,  with 
orders  to  make  as  much  noise  and  clatter  as  they 
could  ;  and  then  at  night,  when  all  was  still,  they  stole 
silently  away  from  the  fort  and  returned  on  board.  So 
well  was  the  ruse  practised  every  day  that  the  prisoners 
were  under  the  impression  that  they  were  guarded  by  a 
large  body,  and  never  suspected  the  truth.  The  time 
at  the  fort  was  not  very  pleasant  to  the  marines  on 
guard,  as  the  place  was  filthy  and  literally  swarmed 
with  fleas,  and  their  white  drill  suits  were  so  covered 
with  these  detestable  insects  that  the  marines  appeared 
to  be  dressed  in  brown  instead  of  white  clothing. 

This  was  Mr.  Bignell's  only  taste  of  active  service. 
When  the  Sttperb  was  paid  off  he  was  employed  in 
several  offices  in  the  barracks,  first  as  commanding 
officer's  clerk,  and  afterwards  he  was  appointed  to  the 
barracks  at  Millbay  as  barrack  sergeant,  and  he  held 
this  appointment  for  seven  years.  By  the  end  of  this 
time  he  had  served  twenty-two  years.  Throughout  all 
this  time  he  had  been  a  keen  and  close  observer  of 
nature.  From  his  boyhood  up  natural  history  had 
exercised  a  great  attraction  for  him,  and  as  he  grew  up, 
and  studied,  the  subject  became  more  and  more  interest- 
ing. During  his  last  seven  years  of  service  he  made 
considerable  progress,  for  as  a  barrack  sergeant  he  had 
little  work  to  do,  and  so  had  plenty  of  time  to  devote  to 
his  hobby. 

After  being  discharged  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Plymouth  Institution,  with  the  object  of  finding  out  the 
names  of  some  of  the  insects  he  had  captured,  and  was 
surprised  to  find  that  it  had  nothing  like  them  in  its 
collection,  nor  could  anybody  tell  him  what  they  were. 


JOHN    RAI.FS 
Reproiiicced  ly  pcyitiisii.m  of  Miss  Lo7eJay  E.  Diakc 


TWO  NATURALISTS  IN  CORNWALL     147 

Mr.  Bignell  had  barely  retired  from  the  service  ere 
he  was  appointed  Registrar  of  Births  and  Deaths  for 
the  Stonehouse  district  and  also  Poor  Law  Officer  to 
the  Stonehouse  Board  of  Guardians  ;  but  his  residence 
is  in  Saltash.  All  his  spare  time  has  for  many  years 
been  given  up  to  scientific  pursuits,  the  branch  of 
science  to  which  he  is  most  partial  being  entomology  ; 
but  since  his  residence  in  Saltash  he  has  been  a 
profound  student  in  marine  flora.  It  is  not  only  in 
the  study  of  the  known  and  hitherto  unregistered 
insects  that  Mr.  Bignell  has  acquired  a  world-wide 
fame  ;  he  has  specially  taken  up  the  subject,  hitherto 
almost  untouched,  of  the  parasites  that  live  on  insects. 

To  grasp  what  has  been  done  by  him  an  examina- 
tion must  be  made  of  the  entomological  journals  for 
the  last  forty  years,  for  there  he  is  generally  in  evidence. 
In  the  proceedings  of  the  Entomological  Society  of 
London  Mr.  Bignell's  name  is  quoted  as  being  the 
discoverer  of  fifty-one  parasites,  nineteen  being  new  to 
science  and  thirty-two  new  to  Britain.  In  recognition 
of  this  work,  one  of  the  new  species  has  been  named 
after  him  Mesoleiiis  Bignellii.  The  Royal  Cornwall 
Polytechnic  Society  have  awarded  him  three  of  their 
medals,  a  bronze  one  for  "land  and  fresh  water  shells," 
a  silver  one  for  a  "collection  of  British  moths,"  and  a 
second  silver  medal  for  "  butterflies  and  moths." 

In  the  publications  of  the  Ray  Society  on  the 
Larvce  of  British  Butterflies  and  Moths,  at  the  end  of 
each  volume  we  find  a  list  of  parasites  preying  on  these 
beautiful  insects,  "kindly  prepared  by  Mr.  G.  C. 
Bignell,  f.e.s." 

One  of  the  most  extraordinary  features  of  Mr. 
Bignell's  work  is  the  infinite  delicacy  wherewith  even 
now  at  an  advanced  age  he  is  able  to  draw  and  colour 
his  specimens.     The  miniature  painter  of  a  beautiful 


148  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

girl's  face  a  century  ago  did  not  take  more  pains  to 
delineate  the  object  of  his  admiring  study  than  does 
Mr.  Bignell  to  obtain  a  "counterfeit  presentment"  of 
some  disgusting  caterpillar  or  parasitic  insect. 

The  hunting  for  specimens  would  be  an  exhausting 
toil  were  it  not  a  labour  of  love.  On  one  occasion  Mr, 
Bignell  obtained  one  hundred  and  forty-one  caterpillars 
of  a  certain  moth  in  Whitsand  Bay,  under  Fort  Tre- 
gantle.  They  were  feeding  on  henbane,  and  as  he  did 
not  know  where  else  to  get  the  right  sort  of  food  for  them, 
he  had  to  go  out  two  or  three  times  a  week  for  the  food, 
walking  in  all  a  hundred  miles.  But,  alas  for  the 
ingratitude  of  the  caterpillars,  not  a  single  moth  re- 
warded all  this  devotion  !  Yet  even  this  was  outdone 
by  a  hundred  and  thirty-five  mile  walk  in  the  dark  to 
attempt  to  capture  one  sort  of  moth,  which  perhaps 
deserves  to  be  mentioned  for  its  elusive  ways.  It  is 
called  the  Dasycampa  rubiginea^  and  has  to  live  up  to 
its  name.  Plym  Bridge  was  supposed  to  be  its  haunt, 
and  its  time  of  taking  its  walks  or  flutter  abroad,  night, 
and  that  also  in  midwinter.  So  night  after  night  in 
November  and  December  it  was  stalked,  till  one  night, 
between  the  6th  and  7th  December,  the  moth  was 
spotted  leisurely  sipping  honey  from  the  flowers  of  the 
ivy  growing  on  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  old  gateway 
leading  into  Cann  Wood  between  Plym  Bridge  and 
Plympton,  just  as  the  clock  at  Morley  House  was  strik- 
ing twelve. 

A  pathetic  interest  attaches  to  the  large  copper 
butterfly.  This  splendid  species  was  first  discovered  in 
Wales  by  the  celebrated  botanist  Hudson.  It  was  sub- 
sequently captured  in  considerable  numbers  about 
Whittlesea  Mere,  in  Huntingdonshire.  Now,  alas!  it  is 
extinct,  and  a  specimen  such  as  one  possessed  by  Mr. 
Bignell  is  worth  some  pounds.     The  last  secured  was 


TWO  NATURALISTS  IN  CORNWALL     149 

in  1847.  Greedy  collectors  and  dealers  from  London, 
after  its  discovery,  were  waiting  for  it,  and  offered 
the  country  yokels  five  shillings  for  every  caterpillar 
secured.  Now  it  is  as  extinct  as  the  dodo  and  the 
great  auk. 

There  would  seem  to  be  no  living  creature  that  is  not 
a  home  and  feeding  ground  for  parasites ;  even  the 
butterflies  are  infested  with  them,  and  probably  these 
parasites  also  have  others  infinitely  small  that  attack 
them. 

Great  fleas  have  little  fleas  upon  their  backs  to  bite  'em, 
And  little  fleas  have  lesser  fleas — and  so  ad  infinitum. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  discoveries  made  by  Mr. 
Bignell  is  that  a  creature  like  a  scorpion — but  all  claw — 
that  is  found  upon  the  common  house-fly  is  not  a  true 
parasite.  It  likes  a  ride,  and  to  do  it  cheap.  And 
when  a  fly  comes  within  reach,  it  lays  hold  of  it  with  its 
disproportionately  huge  claws,  clings,  and  has  a  ride, 
free,  gratis  and  for  nothing.  When  it  has  seen  enough 
of  the  world  and  is  tired,  it  lets  go  and  drops  off. 

Says  Mr.  Bignell:  "The  Blossom  Underwing  is  a 
moth  that  was  very  abundant  on  the  male  flowers  of  the 
great  sallow  on  April  13th,  1866.  Previously  this  moth 
was  very  scarce  ;  but  on  this  night  I  saw  at  least  a 
thousand  ;  they  were  all  in  pairs,  and  each  pair  occupied 
a  flower,  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten.  The  fine 
flowering  scrubby  oaks  were  swarming  with  the  larvse. 
A  friend  of  mine  who  kept  birds  in  a  very  large  cage, 
seeing  the  abundance  of  the  caterpillars,  decided  to  give 
his  birds  a  treat ;  he  accordingly  gathered  about  a  pint 
of  them,  carried  them  home,  and  instead  of  giving  the 
birds  two  or  three  at  a  time,  he  incautiously  put  the 
tin  into  the  cage  and  removed  the  lid.  At  once  the 
caterpillars  began  to  escape,  and  the  seething  mass 
of  black  and  yellow  wriggling  over  the  floor,  crawling 


I50  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

about  the  wires,  so  frightened  the  birds  that  it  caused 
the  death  of  two  of  three,  which  beat  themselves  against 
the  cage  in  vain  hope  to  escape  from  these  uncanny- 
horrors." 

As  may  be  well  imagined,  Mr.  Bignell  with  his 
lantern  stealing  up  the  side  of  a  hedge  in  the  night 
often  enough  routed  the  poachers  and  sent  them  flying, 
thinking  they  were  being  watched  by  a  policeman. 
On  one  occasion  he  scared  an  owl.  "  I  was  enjoying 
myself,  on  my  knees,  hunting  over  the  contents  of  my 
net  that  I  had  used  for  sweeping  the  low  foliage,  to  see 
what  captures  I  had  made.  My  nose  and  bull's-eye 
lantern  were  thrust  close  to  the  ground,  to  prevent  any- 
thing escaping  observation.  In  the  midst  of  this  occu- 
pation an  owl  swooped  down  to  see  what  was  up,  when 
I  turned  my  lantern  on  him,  and  away  he  flew  in  a 
mighty  hurry,  bringing  the  back  of  his  wings  together 
with  great  force,  like  a  man  clapping  his  hands.  He 
was  evidently  in  great  alarm,  and  uttered  an  unearthly 
scream.  It  certainly  gave  me  also  a  turn,  it  was  so 
sudden." 

All  moths  with  highly  pectinated  antenna,  that  is  to 
say  with  their  feelers  comb-like  at  the  extremities,  have 
the  most  extraordinary  power  of  scenting  a  female  moth 
at  a  great  distance,  even  two  or  three  miles,  with  a 
favourable  wind. 

Mr.  Bignell  says:  "I  once  had  a  virgin  female 
of  the  Oak-egger  moth,  and  was  desirous  of  getting 
some  males.  I  started  off  with  the  lady  in  a  tin  box, 
with  a  perforated  zinc  top,  to  give  her  air  and  allow  her 
perfume  to  escape.  I  walked  through  the  fields  towards 
Milehouse  to  where  was  a  turnstile  ;  and  at  this  spot 
lighted  on  a  weary  policeman  resting.  As  it  was  a  dull 
day,  without  any  token  of  the  sun  breaking  out,  to 
attract  butterflies  for  their  usual  gambols,  the  policeman 


TWO  NATURALISTS  IN  CORNWALL     151 

jeeringly  remarked  that  I  had  missed  the  right  day. 
I  replied  that  I  thought  not,  and  that  I  could  collect  as 
many  as  I  desired,  in  fact,  I  could  make  them  come  to 
me.  He  laughed  incredulously.  I  then  took  out  my 
tin  box  and  placed  it  on  the  wall,  and,  magician-like, 
whistled  and  waved  my  hand.  The  policeman  stared, 
and  thought  I  was  befooling  him.  But  lo,  in  two 
or  three  minutes  one  male  alighted  close  to  the  box, 
soon  followed  by  others,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  I 
had  at  least  fifty,  and  so  tame  that  I  picked  them  up 
with  my  fingers  and  distributed  them  among  about  a 
dozen  people  who  had  gathered  to  see  what  I  was 
about.  The  policeman  stared  with  open  eyes  and 
mouth,  quite  satisfied  that  my  whistle  and  mysterious 
signs  in  the  air  with  my  hand  had  called  the  insects  to 
me.  Satisfied  with  what  I  had  got  I  waved  again  and 
bade  the  moths  depart,  and  clapped  the  box  in  my 
pocket.  Next  day  I  took  the  empty  box  out  with  me 
into  the  country.  I  had  several  males  following  me,  and 
some  actually  penetrated  into  my  pocket  where  was  the 
empty  box,  proving  that  the  perfume  still  remained  in 
it,  though  wholly  imperceptible  to  myself." 

On  one  occasion  Mr.  Bignell  and  a  friend  set  out  at 
night  to  find  the  beautiful  moth  Heliopliohus  hispidics^ 
knowing  its  haunts,  between  the  south  side  of  the 
Plymouth  citadel  and  the  sea,  where  it  is  to  be  found 
in  September  or  October  resting  on  the  grass. 

Accordingly,  each  furnished  with  a  bull's-eye  lantern, 
they  visited  the  locality,  but  it  was  some  time  before 
one  was  discerned,  and  that  was  on  a  blade  of  grass 
overhanging  the  cliff  and  out  of  reach,  a  sheer  drop  of 
twenty  feet  at  least  into  the  sea  fretting  and  moaning 
below.  Loath  to  miss  it,  as  its  eyes  shone  like  two 
rubies — in  fact,  both  saw  those  glistening  eyes  before 
they  observed  that  they  were  in  the  head  of  the  moth 


152  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

— they  arranged  that  one  should  lie  flat  on  his  stomach, 
and  that  Mr.  Bignell  should  sit  down,  dig  the  heels  of 
his  boots  into  the  turf,  then  take  his  friend  by  the  legs 
and  thrust  him  over  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  so  far  as  to 
enable  him  to  box  the  moth,  whilst  holding  the  handle 
of  his  lantern  between  his  teeth.  This  was  done,  and 
the  Heliophohus  was  secured. 

But,  after  all,  it  is  in  the  direction  of  parasites  living 
upon  insects  that  Mr.  Bignell  has  made  the  greatest 
research.  He  is  the  possessor  of  a  unique  collection 
of  the  parasites  that  live  on  the  aphis,  and  also  of  the 
hyper-parasite  which  preys  upon  that  parasite.  The 
life-history  of  this  insect  was  unknown  till  Mr.  Bignell 
detected  a  hyper-parasite  pierce  the  aphis  which  was 
itself  a  parasite.  The  specimen  was  secured,  and 
from  it  was  bred  the  hyper-parasite  itself. 

The  life-story  of  the  aphis,  that  tiny  green  pest  that 
infests  the  roses,  has  been  unrolled  by  this  enthusiastic 
student,  and  is  full  of  surprises.  The  ichneumon  fly 
as  well  has  been  watched,  and  all  its  wicked  acts 
recorded. 

Caterpillars,  so  fat  and  fleshy,  form  a  delightful 
feeding  ground  for  the  deposit  of  eggs,  and  serve 
as  luscious  food  for  the  young  to  pasture  upon.  We 
human  beings,  in  common  with  all  mammals,  have  the 
obligation  imposed  on  us  of  nourishing  our  own  young, 
and  with  some  of  us  we  go  on  sustaining  them  till  we 
are  exhausted  in  the  process,  but  the  ichneumonid^ 
are  more  clever  than  we.  They  make  others,  not- 
ably the  caterpillars,  maintain  their  young,  and  the 
frivolous  mothers,  after  having  once  deposited  their 
eggs,  gad  about  and  enjoy  themselves  as  having  no 
concern  for  their  future  well-being.  It  is  a  comfort  to 
reflect  that  the  insects  thus  preyed  upon  do  not  seem  to 
suffer  much,  if  at  all,  and  it  may  almost  be  said  that  they 


TWO  NATURALISTS  IN  CORNWALL     153 

exhibit  a  maternal  regard  for  the  young  bred  out  of 
their  bodies. 

With  his  wonderful  microscopes  Mr.  Bignell  can 
explore  far  down  the  ladder  of  life,  but  whether  to  its 
lowest  rung  may  well  be  doubted.  There  is  always 
some  living  being  to  be  found  preying  on  the  last  of 
the  minutest  creature  last  seen. 

After  a  visit  to  Mr.  Bignell's  house  in  Saltash  with 
a  friend,  I  turned  to  him  and  said  :  "  I  came  here 
believing  myself  to  be  an  Individual.  I  leave  knowing 
myself  to  be  a  Community." 


SIR  JOHN    CALL,    BART. 

THE  Dictionary  of  National  Biography  says 
of  Sir  John  Call  that  he  was  "descended 
from  an  old  family  which,  it  is  said,  once 
owned  considerable  property  in  Devon  and 
Cornwall."  That  proviso  "it  is  said"  is  conveniently 
inserted.  Anything  may  be  said,  as  that  the  cow 
jumped  over  the  moon,  but  that  a  saying  may  be 
believed  we  must  know  who  uttered  it.  Now  the 
originator  of  this  saying  was  probably  William  Playfair, 
in  his  British  Family  Antiquity  ^  1809.  In  that  the  follow- 
ing interesting  statement  occurs:  "From  papers  in 
the  possession  of  the  family,  partly  fabulous,  though 
partly  true,  it  appears  that  the  family  of  the  Calls, 
consisting  of  three  brothers,  came  into  England  from 
Saxony  towards  the  end  of  the  eighth  century.  One 
of  these  brothers  settled  in  Scotland,  from  whom  is 
descended  the  clan  of  the  McColls ;  the  second  in 
Norfolk,  where  the  family  continued  until  the  begin- 
ning of  the  last  (eighteenth)  century  ;  and  the  third 
settled  in  Cornwall,  from  whence  the  present  family 
derives  its  origin.  This  very  ancient,  but  latterly  not 
very  opulent  family,  was  formerly  possessed  of  con- 
siderable landed  property  both  in  Devonshire  and 
Cornwall,  which  was  first  reduced  by  the  civil  wars 
in  the  time  of  Henry  VH,  and  afterwards  nearly 
annihilated,  in  consequence  of  the  loyal  attachment 
of  some  of  its  individuals  to  the  royal  cause  during 
the  civil  wars  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I." 

154 


■^: 


SIR    JOHN    CALL,    BAKl'. 
front  a.  portrait  (by  A.  H  icicle)  in  the  possession  0/  /lis  grcat-gramidaiighter, 
Mrs.  lie  Lacy  Lacy 


SIR   JOHN    CALL,    BART.  155 

Why  was  the  eighth  century  fixed  on  for  the  advent 
of  the  Calls  upon  the  scene?  Presumably  because  the 
first  Norsemen  arrived  in  787.  Conceive  the  Calls 
coming  over  in  a  dragon  ship,  filled  with  berserker 
rage,  to  ravage  England  and  glut  themselves  with  our 
blood. 

But  we  shall  look  for  Calls  in  vain  among  the  records 
of  the  past.  As  it  happens,  Saxons  and  Northmen  had 
no  family,  only  personal  names.  The  story  is  as  absurd 
as  that  also  put  forth  that  Callington  derived  its  name 
from  the  Calls,  who  only  settled  near  it  in  1770. 

But  these  "family  papers"  are  not  so  ancient  as  Sir 
John  Call,  who  would  have  been  above  such  a  pretence. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  account  supplied  to  Playfair 
shows  a  surprising  ignorance  in  the  writer  as  to  the 
existence  of  Heralds'  Visitations,  Inquisitiones  post 
mortem.  Wills,  Royalist  Composition  Papers,  Parish 
Registers,  and  all  the  material  at  hand  to  confirm  or 
disprove  reckless  genealogical  assertions.  Playfair 
does  admit  that  the  story  contained  in  the  "family 
papers"  is  "partly  fabulous."  He  might  have  said 
that  it  was  fabulous  from  beginning  to  end. 

The  Calls  had  no  right  whatever  to  bear  arms,  till 
a  grant  was  made  to  them — after  reading  the  above 
flourish  not  inappropriate — of  three  trumpets. 

The  MS.  "Names  of  Gentlemen  in  Devonshire  and 
Cornwall  with  their  Arms,"  drawn  up  by  John  Hooker, 
alias  Vowell,  in  1599,  is  the  only  armoury  of  the  West 
that  gives  the  name  of  Call  with  arms  :  Party  per  pale 
or  and  gules  ;  upon  a  chief  az.  3  geese  sable.  But  he 
gives  no  indication  of  place  where  such  a  gentleman 
possessed  land — and  that,  before  this  "opulent  family" 
had  been  ruined  by  the  civil  wars.  Hooker  probably 
included  the  name,  because,  at  the  time,  there  was  some 
gentleman  Call  from  another  part  of  England  living 


156  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

in  Exeter.  That  the  Calls  of  Whiteford  had  no  claim  to 
his  arms,  nor  could  exhibit  descent  from  him,  is  shown 
by  their  not  adopting  his  coat.  In  a  MS.  armoury 
of  all  England  dating  from  1632,  that  belonged  to 
C.  Pole,  the  name  and  arms  of  Call  do  not  occur. 

According  to  Foster's  Baronetage^  the  Calls  hailed 
from  Prestacott,  in  Launcells. 

Actually  the  great-grandfather  of  Sir  John  was  of 
Grove,  in  Stratton,  a  tenant  farmer.  A  good  many 
Calls  appear  in  the  register  of  the  parish,  never  with 
gent,  appended  to  the  name,  or  even  with  Mr.  pre- 
ceding it,  a  title  generally  accorded  to  a  yeoman  or  a 
well-to-do  tradesman;  and  one  in  1735  is  buried  as  a 
pauper.  Their  marriages  also  show  to  what  class  they 
belonged,  with  the  Uglows,  Tanners,  and  the  Jewells, 
in  a  humble  walk  of  life. 

John  Call,  described  as  of  Prestacott,  in  Launcells, 
was  born  in  1680,  and  in  1702  married  Sarah  Jewell, 
and  died  in  1730. 

Prestacott  consisted  of  three  very  small  farms  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  old  road  from  Stratton  to  Hols- 
worthy.  Of  late  years  the  ramshackle  buildings  have 
been  pulled  down  and  the  lands  thrown  together  and 
constituted  one  farm,  and  a  new  house  has  been  built. 
It  belonged  at  the  time  that  John  Call  rented  one  of 
these  little  holdings  to  the  Orchards  of  Hartland 
Abbey.  John  Call  had  two  sons,  John  and  Richard. 
John  was  born  ist  March,  1704-5,  and  married  Jane, 
daughter  of  John  Mill,  of  Launcells,  ''the  descendant 
of  a  respectable  family,  which  had  considerable  posses- 
sions there,  as  well  as  in  Middlesex,"  says  Playfair. 
He  might  have  added  with  equal  truth  that  they  pos- 
sessed castles  in  the  air.  As  it  happens,  the  Visitations 
of  Cornwall  and  Lysons  knew  nothing  of  the  family  of 
Mill.    The  Mills  were  of  Shernick,  a  farm  in  Launcells, 


SIR   JOHN    CALL,   BART.  157 

which  they  rented  of  the  Arundels  of  Trerice.  Their 
ledger-stones  are  in  the  parish  church,  but  they  are 
never  described  as  gen  is.  Mrs.  Judith  Mill  was  buried 
on  October  14th,  1723,  and  Mr.  John  Mill  on  Decem- 
ber ist  in  the  same  year,  and  Mr.  Richard  Mill  on  July 
nth,  1766. 

Sarah  Call,  widow  of  John  Call  (without  even  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  prefixed),  was  buried  on  February  ist,  1747-8. 
Shernick  is  now  the  property  of  Sir  C.  T.  Acland, 
Bart.,  inherited  through  an  heiress  in  the  nineteenth 
century  of  the  Arundels. 

John  Call,  who  married  Jane  Mill,  had  a  son,  the 
subject  of  this  memoir.  Afterwards,  when  this  son 
was  rich,  he  set  up  a  tablet  to  the  memory  of  his  father 
in  Launcells  Church,  on  which  he  gives  him  the  title  of 
"gent." 

In  Memory  of  John  Call  gent  of  Shernick 

in  this  parish,  and  of  Whiteford  in  Stoke  Climsland. 

He  was  interred  in  this  church  3  Jan.  1767, 

aged  63.     Also  of  Jane  Call  his  widow,  who 

was  interred  9  Nov.  1781,  aged  70. 

Also  of  Jane  Jones  their  daughter,  wife  of 

the  Rev'^  Cadwalader  Jones,  minister  of  this  parish, 

who  was  here  interred  2  April,  1790,  aged 

50,  and  of  their  two  children,  etc. 

Concerning  Mrs.  Cadwalader  Jones,  more  hereafter. 
The  old  gentleman,  John  Call,  had  died  on  December 
31st,  1766,  going  out  with  the  old  year. 

John,  the  younger,  was  born  June  30th,  1732,  at 
Fenny  Park,  near  Tiverton,  and  was  educated  at  a 
private  school.  For  some  reason  or  other,  not  known, 
his  mother  disliked  him,  and  when  aged  seventeen,  and 
he  had  been  recommended  to  the  notice  of  Benjamin 
Robbins,  who  was  going  out  to  India,  she  refused 
to  furnish  him  with  the  money  required  for  his  outfit 


158  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

and  passage  to  India,  so  that  his  more  distant  relatives, 
probably  the  Mill  family  of  Shernick,  supplied  the 
money. 

Benjamin  Robbins  had  composed  a  treatise  on  the 
principles  of  gunnery  and  the  price  of  gunpowder,  that 
was  not  as  yet  published,  and  also  an  account  of  Lord 
Anson's  voyages.  He  was  a  mathematician,  and  had 
been  appointed  chief  engineer  and  captain-general  in 
the  East  India  Company's  service,  and  he  was  looking 
about  for  commercial  clerks  who  would  serve  on  a 
small  pay,  when  Call  was  recommended  to  him  as  a 
shrewd  lad.  John  Call  was  glad  of  the  chance  of  see- 
ing something  of  the  world  and  of  escaping  from  a 
mother  who  flouted  him,  and  he  embraced  the  offer 
with  gladness.  Robbins  quitted  England  in  1749,  and 
arrived  with  his  clerks  at  Fort  William  in  July,  1750. 

Call  had  been  given  by  Robbins  his  treatise  on  ex- 
plosives to  transcribe  for  the  press,  and  this  interested 
the  young  man  in  the  subject,  and  he  pursued  the 
theme,  and  made  considerable  improvements  in  rifling 
barrels.  He  also  introduced  one  that  enabled  shells 
to  be  discharged  from  long  guns.  When  Robbins 
landed  he  had  with  him  eight  young  clerks,  of  whom 
Call  was  one.  Robbins  died  in  July,  1751,  and  Call 
then  became  the  leading  engineer. 

War  broke  out  among  the  native  princes,  backed 
up  upon  one  side  by  the  French,  on  the  other  by  the 
English,  and  Call  was  employed  to  carry  out  the  erec- 
tion of  defensive  works  at  Fort  S.  David.  This  was  an 
English  settlement  near  the  mouth  of  the  Southern 
Pennair  River,  and  was  only  twelve  miles  from  Pondi- 
cherry,  the  French  head-quarters. 

Madras,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Triplicane,  consisted 
of  the  native  or  black  city  and  of  Fort  S.  George, 
which  lay  on  the  sea,  and  was  almost  engirdled  by  the 


SIR   JOHN    CALL,   BART.  159 

North  River  that  with  the  TripUcane  formed  an  island 
crossed  by  the  main  road  from  Chinglapett  and  Vanda- 
lone. 

The  French,  whilst  in  possession  of  Fort  S.  George, 
after  it  had  been  taken  by  Labourdonnais  in  1746,  had 
made  several  improvements  and  additions  to  the  slight 
works  they  found,  which,  nevertheless,  rendered  the 
fort  little  capable  of  long  resistance  against  the  regular 
approaches  of  a  European  enemy  ;  nor  had  they 
given  any  attention  to  the  internal  area,  which  did  not 
exceed  fifteen  acres  of  ground.  Nevertheless,  the 
English  let  the  place  remain  in  the  same  state  after  its 
recovery  from  the  French  in  1751  till  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1756,  when  the  expectation  of  another  war 
with  that  nation,  and  the  reports  of  the  great  prepara- 
tions making  in  France  against  India,  dictated  the 
necessity  of  rendering  it  completely  defensible  ;  and 
Call  was  employed  in  the  extension  and  perfecting  of 
the  work,  that  had  received  the  consideration  of 
Robbins  before  his  decease.  Accordingly  all  the 
coolies,  labourers,  and  tank  diggers  whom  the  ad- 
jacent country  could  supply  were  from  this  time 
constantly  employed  on  the  fortifications  :  their  daily 
number  generally  amounted  to  four  thousand  men, 
women,  and  children.  The  river  channel  was  diverted, 
and  the  old  channel  was  filled  up ;  very  extensive 
bastions  and  outworks  were  erected  ;  and  it  was  due  to 
this  undertaking  that  Fort  S.  George  was  able  to  stand 
successfully  against  the  siege  by  the  Count  de  Lally  in 

1759. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1752  Call  accompanied 

Captain    (afterwards    Lord)    Clive    in    an    expedition 

against  the  French,  who  had  possessed  themselves  of 

the  province  of  Arcot,  and  were  plundering  up  to  the 

very  gates  of   Madras  ;    and  he  was  with  him  in   his 


i6o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

occupation  and  subsequent  defence  of  Arcot,  during  a 
fifty  days'  siege.  Clive  had  marched  from  Madras 
with  two  hundred  English  soldiers  and  three  hundred 
sepoys.  He  had  with  him  eight  English  officers,  but 
of  these  only  two  had  smelt  powder,  whilst  fouc,  Call 
among  them,  were  only  commercial  clerks  forced  by 
Clive's  example  to  draw  the  sword.  The  battle  of 
Coverplank,  near  Arcot,  gained  by  Captain  Clive  in 
the  February  of  1752,  in  which  the  French  lost  all  their 
artillery  and  were  totally  dispersed,  cleared  the  pro- 
vince of  their  influence  and  established  the  English  in 
the  garrison  of  that  capital.  From  Arcot  the  vic- 
torious army,  consisting  of  about  five  hundred  Euro- 
peans and  one  thousand  natives,  marched  through  the 
country  back  to  Fort  S.  David,  when  Mr.  Call  was 
appointed  chief  engineer  at  Madras,  and  eventually  of 
all  the  Coromandel  coast. 

In  1753  the  French  under  Bussy  and  Dupleix  were 
full  of  schemes  to  retrieve  the  honour  of  their  arms, 
and  to  obtain  the  absolute  empire  of  the  Deccan  and  the 
south.  In  that  year,  the  cession  of  five  important 
provinces  had  made  them  masters  of  the  sea-coast  of 
Coromandel  and  Orissa  for  an  uninterrupted  line  of 
six  hundred  miles,  and  also  furnished  the  convenient 
means  of  receiving  reinforcements  of  men  and  military 
stores  from  Pondicherry  and  Mauritius.  But  neither 
the  Court  of  Versailles  nor  the  French  India  Company 
at  home  had  approved  the  grand  projects  of  Bussy  and 
Dupleix.  The  Court  questioned  the  propriety  of  these 
wars  with  the  English  in  a  time  of  peace,  and  the 
Company  was  impatient  at  the  cost  of  these  wars,  and 
doubted  whether  the  territorial  acquisitions  could  be 
maintained  profitably  to  themselves.  The  English 
Company  also  was  impatient  at  the  heavy  outlay,  and 
was  willing  to  leave  the  French  in  possession  of  the 


SIR   JOHN    CALL,   BART.  i6i 

Northern  Circars ;  but  Dupleix  was  not  to  be  re- 
strained. He  saw  further  into  the  future  than  did  the 
merchants  of  Paris  ;  he  perceived  that  an  unrivalled 
opportunity  was  open  to  him  to  make  all  India  tribu- 
tary to  France,  and  he  was  determined  to  seize  it.  But 
to  do  so  he  must  expel  the  English.  He  claimed  to  be 
Nabob  of  the  Carnatic,  and  unless  his  authority  as  such 
were  recognized  by  the  English,  he  would  make  no 
terms  whatever  with  them.  But  Dupleix  had  had  his 
day.  His  protectors  and  admirers  were  now  out  of 
office,  and  he  was  recalled  to  France. 

As  soon  as  war  had  been  declared  in  Europe,  the 
Government  of  Louis  XV  commenced  preparations  on 
a  large  scale  for  an  expedition  to  the  East,  and  the 
arrival  of  a  great  armament  was  daily  expected  at 
Pondicherry. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  28th  April,  1758,  that 
a  squadron  of  twelve  vessels  reached  the  coast.  These 
ships  had  on  board  a  regiment  of  infantry  eleven  hun- 
dred strong,  a  corps  of  artillery,  and  a  number  of 
officers,  all  under  the  command  of  the  Count  de  Lally, 
a  veteran  officer  of  Irish  extraction,  who  had  been  all 
his  life  in  the  service  of  France.  He  had  been  ap- 
pointed Governor-General  of  the  French  possessions 
in  India.  He  was  a  man  of  great  ability  and  ambition, 
and  was  animated  by  intense  and  passionate  hatred  of 
England.  Had  he  been  supported  from  home,  he  would 
almost  certainly  have  made  France  predominant  in  the 
peninsula.  No  sooner  was  he  landed  than  he  organized 
an  expedition  against  Fort  S.  David,  and  in  June,  1758, 
he  captured  it.  He  then  prepared  to  take  Madras  as  a 
preliminary  to  an  advance  on  Bengal,  and  he  hoped  to 
drive  the  English  out  of  Calcutta.  But  he  was  without 
resources  ;  there  was  no  money  to  be  had  at  Pondi- 
cherry.    At  last  he  raised  a  small  sum,  chiefly  out  of 

M 


i62  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

his  own  funds,  and  began  the  march  to  Madras  ;  his 
officers  preferring  to  risk  death  before  the  walls  of 
Madras  to  certain  starvation  within  the  walls  of  Pondi- 
cherry.  Lally  reached  Madras  on  the  12th  December, 
1758,  and  at  once  took  possession  of  the  black  or 
native  town,  commanded  by  Fort  S.  George,  and 
began  the  siege  of  that  fort  with  vigour.  Call  was 
within.  It  was  due  to  him  that  the  defences  were 
in  such  a  condition  that  the  garrison  could  look 
with  confidence  to  withstand  a  siege.  We  hear,  in- 
deed, nothing  of  any  active  part  taken  by  him  during 
the  progress  of  the  siege,  but  undoubtedly  his  know- 
ledge and  talent  had  much  to  do  with  rendering  the 
defence  effective.  The  real  command  was  with  Major 
Laurence  and  Mr.  Pigot.  The  total  force  collected  was 
1758  Europeans  and  2220  sepoys.  On  the  other  side 
Lally  had  an  army  of  2700  Europeans  and  4000  native 
troops. 

On  14th  December  the  French  took  possession  of 
the  black  town,  which  was  open  and  defenceless  ;  and 
there  the  soldiers,  breaking  open  some  arrack  stores, 
got  drunk  and  mad,  and  committed  great  disorders. 

Taking  advantage  of  this,  a  sortie  was  resolved 
upon,  and  six  hundred  chosen  men,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Draper  and  Major  Brere- 
ton,  with  two  field-pieces,  rushed  into  the  streets  of  the 
black  town.  Unluckily  the  drummers,  who  were  all 
little  black  boys,  struck  up  the  "Grenadiers'  March" 
too  soon  and  gave  warning  to  the  French,  who  left  off 
their  drinking  and  plundering,  and,  running  to  their 
arms,  drew  up  at  a  point  where  the  narrow  streets 
crossed  at  right  angles.  Those  who  were  drunk  were 
joined  by  those  who  were  sober,  till  the  whole  number 
far  exceeded  that  of  the  English  detachment.  If  Bussy, 
who  was  at  hand,  had  made  one  of  the  bold  and  rapid 


SIR   JOHN   CALL,   BART.  163 

movements  which  he  had  been  accustomed  to  make 
when  acting  on  his  own  responsibility,  he  might  have 
taken  the  English  in  rear.  But  he  was  sulky,  and 
jealous  of  Lally,  and  remained  inert.  When  Draper 
saw  that  he  must  retreat,  he  found  that  all  his 
drummer-boys  who  should  sound  the  recall  had  run 
away.  He,  however,  managed  to  bring  off  his  troops, 
leaving  two  field-pieces  behind,  and  having  lost  or 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  about  two  hundred 
men. 

The  siege  dragged  on.  Most  of  Lally's  heavy  artil- 
lery was  still  at  sea,  and  a  corps  of  sepoys  captured 
and  spiked  his  only  13-inch  mortar,  which  was  coming 
by  land.  All  his  warlike  means  were  as  deficient 
as  those  of  the  garrison  were  perfect,  and  dissen- 
sions and  ill-will  against  him  increased  among  his 
officers. 

For  six  weeks  the  French  were  without  any  pay,  and 
during  the  last  fifteen  days  they  had  no  provisions  ex- 
cept rice  and  butter.  Then  the  ammunition  of  the 
besiegers  failed.  On  the  15th  February,  1759,  he  re- 
solved on  raising  the  siege.  He  had  thrown  away  his 
last  bomb  three  weeks  before,  and  he  had  blazed  away 
nearly  all  his  gunpowder.  Pouring  forth  invectives 
and  blaming  every  one  but  himself,  Lally  decamped  on 
the  night  of  the  17th  as  secretly  and  expeditiously  as 
he  could. 

In  March,  1760,  Call  was  employed  in  reducing 
Karikal,  and  at  the  latter  end  of  the  year  and  in  the 
beginning  of  1761  he  was  employed  as  chief  engineer 
under  Sir  Eyre  Coote  in  the  reduction  of  Pondicherry, 
which,  after  it  had  been  battered  furiously  during  two 
days,  surrendered  at  discretion.  Then  the  town  and 
fortifications  were  levelled  with  the  ground.  A  few 
weeks   after  the  strong  hill-fortress   of  Gingi  surren- 


i64  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

dered,  and  the  military  power  of  the  French  in  the 
Carnatic  was  brought  to  an  end. 

In  1762  Call  had  the  good  fortune,  when  serving 
under  General  Cailland,  to  effect  the  reduction  of  the 
strong  fortress  of  Vellore,  one  hundred  miles  west  of 
Madras,  which  has  since  been  the  point  d^appui  of  the 
English  power  in  the  Carnatic. 

In  July,  1763,  Mahomed  Usuff  Cawn,  a  native  of 
great  military  talent,  employed  in  the  service  of  the 
English,  for  usurping  the  government  of  Madura  and 
Tinnevelly,  the  two  southernmost  provinces  of  the 
peninsula,  had  to  be  dealt  with  summarily.  A  con- 
siderable force  marched  against  him,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Monson,  of  His  Majesty's  69th 
Regiment.  Call  acted  as  chief  engineer  under  him, 
till  the  heavy  rains  in  October  obliged  the  English 
army  to  retire  from  before  Madura.  Eventually  that 
place  and  Palamata  were  reduced,  and  Mahomed  Usuff 
Cawn  was  taken  and  hanged. 

At  the  latter  end  of  1764  Call  went  into  the  Travan- 
core  country  to  settle  with  the  Rajah  for  the  arrears  of 
tribute  due  to  the  Nabob  of  Arcot.  Having  satis- 
factorily accomplished  that  business  and  other  concerns 
with  southern  princes,  he  returned  to  Madras  in 
January,  1765,  and  took  his  seat  at  the  Civil  Council, 
to  which  he  was  entitled  by  rotation,  and  he  obtained 
the  rank  of  colonel. 

During  a  great  part  of  the  war  with  Hyder  Ali  in 
1767  and  1768  Call  accompanied  the  army  into  the 
Mysore  country,  and  whilst  he  was  there  the  Company 
advanced  him  to  the  third  seat  in  the  Council,  and  he 
was  strongly  recommended  by  Lord  Clive  to  succeed 
to  the  government  of  Madras  on  the  first  vacancy. 
But  news  reached  him  of  the  death  of  his  father,  and 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  return  to  England.     He  had 


SIR   JOHN   CALL,   BART.  165 

managed  to  scrape  together  a  very  considerable  fortune, 
and  he  desired  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  days  in  the 
enjoyment  of  it.  He  embarked  on  February  8th,  1770, 
after  a  service  of  nearly  twenty  years,  and  he  landed  at 
Plymouth  on  July  26th. 

He  bought  Whiteford,  in  the  parish  of  Stoke  Clims- 
land,  and  greatly  enlarged  the  house.  In  1771  he  was 
appointed  Sheriff  of  Cornwall,  and  in  March,  1772, 
he  married  Philadelphia,  third  daughter  of  Wm. 
Battye,  m.d.,  a  somewhat  distinguished  physician 
living  in  Bloomsbury. 

From  this  period  till  the  autumn  of  1782  he  lived  in 
retirement  at  Whiteford. 

Whilst  in  India,  Call  had  not  forgotten  his  parents 
and  sister  at  home,  and  had  sent  to  his  mother  priceless 
Indian  shawls,  which  she,  not  knowing  their  value,  cut 
up  and  turned  into  under-petticoats  for  herself  and 
daughter  and  maids.  A  pipe  of  Madeira  sent  to  the 
father  was  also  as  little  appreciated.  It  was  distributed 
among  the  farm-labourers  during  harvest  time  to 
economize  the  cider. 

Now  that  he  was  in  England  and  wealthy,  he  re- 
solved on  doing  something  for  his  sister.  She  had 
married  Cadwalader  Jones,  the  vicar  of  the  parish,  and 
the  vicarage  was  a  small,  mean  building,  so  Cadwalader 
Jones  had  taken  the  manor  house  that  was  near  the 
church  on  a  long  lease  from  the  Orchards,  who  were 
lords  of  the  manor.  This  house  had  been  a  cell  of 
Hartland  Abbey,  but  at  the  Restoration  had  been  given 
to  the  Chammonds.  That  family  had  died  out,  and 
now  it  had  come  to  the  Orchards,  owners  of  Hartland 
Abbey.  Call  rebuilt  the  house,  or,  to  be  more  exact, 
built  on  a  modern  house  to  the  old,  and  installed  Cad- 
walader and  his  sister  in  the  new  mansion  ;  he  also 
made  for  them  a  large  walled  garden.     When  he  did 


i66  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

this,  he  was  under  the  impression  that  the  property 
belonged  to  Cadwalader,  and  not  till  he  had  completed 
his  building  did  he  learn  that  Mr.  Jones  had  only  a 
lease  of  it.  Moreover,  Mrs.  Jones  did  not  live  to  enjoy 
the  new  house  very  long,  as  she  died  in  1780,  and  then 
Cadwalader  married  again.  In  course  of  time  Cad- 
walader went  to  join  his  ancestors,  and  thereupon  Mr. 
Hawkey  saw  and  loved  the  widow  and  the  mansion, 
and  married  her.  Thus  it  came  about  that  the  manor 
house  built  for  Mrs.  Jane  Jones  passed  into  other 
hands.  But  thus  it  happens  also  that  through  Miss 
Charlotte  Hawkey  we  have  some  account  of  Sir  John 
Call. 

Lord  Shelburne,  when  Prime  Minister,  being  desirous 
of  investigating  some  of  the  existing  abuses  and  re- 
forming some  of  the  public  departments,  fixed  on  Call 
and  engaged  him  along  with  Mr.  Arthur  Holdsworth, 
of  Dartmouth,  to  inquire  into  the  state  and  manage- 
ment of  Crown  lands,  woods,  and  forests,  which  had 
long  been  neglected  ;  Call  had  seen  this  with  regard  to 
the  Duchy  property  at  his  doors,  and  had  drawn  atten- 
tion to  it.  In  November,  1782,  they  made  their  first 
report ;  but  a  change  of  Ministry  taking  place  soon 
after,  their  proceedings  were  interrupted  till  the  Duke 
of  Portland,  then  First  Lord  of  the  Treasury,  authorized 
them  to  continue  their  investigation.  Before  they  had 
gone  far  another  change  took  place  in  the  Ministry, 
and  Pitt  became  Prime  Minister.  These  frequent 
interruptions  interfered  with  the  progress  of  the  investi- 
gation, and  to  obviate  that,  in  1785-6  Sir  Charles 
Middleton,  Call,  and  Holdsworth  were  appointed  per- 
manent Parliamentary  Commissioners. 

Call  became  a  banker,  a  manufacturer  of  plate-glass, 
and  a  copper-smelter.  He  designed  and  saw  to  the 
execution  of  the  Bodmin  gaol  in  1779.     He  was  elected 


SIR   JOHN    CALL,   BART.  167 

M.P.  for  Callington  in  1784,  and  retained  his  seat  till 
1801.  On  July  28th,  1791,  he  was  created  a  baronet, 
and  granted  as  his  arms,  gules,  three  trumpets  fesse-wise 
in  pale,  or;  as  crest,  a  demi-lion  ramp,  holding  between 
the  paws  a  trumpet  erect,  or. 

By  his  wife  he  had  six  children.  In  1785  he  pur- 
chased the  famous  house  of  Field-Marshal  Wade,  in 
Old  Burlington  Street.  He  became  totally  blind  in 
1795,  and  died  of  apoplexy  at  his  residence  in  town  on 
March  ist,  1801,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  baronetcy 
by  his  son,  William  Pratt  Call,  who  died  in  1851, 
leaving  a  son,  William  Berkeley  Call,  the  third  baronet, 
who  died  in  1864,  and  with  the  son  of  this  latter.  Sir 
William  George  Montague  Call,  the  fourth  baronet, 
the  title  became  extinct.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the 
two  last  affected  aristocratic  Christian  names,  Berkeley 
and  Montague.  Whiteford  was  sold  to  the  Duchy  of 
Cornwall,  and  all  the  noble  trees  in  the  park  were  cut 
down  and  turned  into  money,  and  the  mansion  con- 
verted into  an  office  for  the  Duchy.  Davies  Gilbert,  in 
his  Parochial  History  of  Cormvall,  tells  a  couple  of 
anecdotes  of  Sir  John,  but  they  are  too  pointless  to 
merit  repetition. 

Call  was  one  of  those  admirable,  self-made  men  who 
have  been  empire-makers  in  the  East,  and,  better  than 
that,  have  been  makers  of  the  English  name  as 
synonymous  with  all  that  is  powerful  and  true  and  just. 
He  well  deserved  the  title  accorded  to  him.  He  was  a 
man  of  whom  Cornwall  may  be  proud,  and  it  needed 
no  trumpets  in  his  arms  and  fictions  about  the  origin  of 
his  family  to  make  the  name  honourable. 

As  Dr.  Johnson  said,  "There  are  some  families 
like  potatoes,  whose  only  good  parts  are  under- 
ground." 

The  authorities  for  the  life  of  Sir  John  Call  are  Play- 


i68  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

fair's  British  Family  Antiquity,  1809;  Clement  R. 
Markham's  Memoir  on  the  Indian  Surveys,  1878  ;  H. 
G.  NichoU's  Forest  of  Dean ;  and  Neota,  by  Charlotte 
Hawkey,  1871. 

The  grant  of  the  baronetcy  to  Sir  John  Call,  dated 
1795,  is  now  in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  Institution 
of  Cornwall,  at  Truro. 


JOHN    KNILL 

IN  August,  1853,  appeared  the  following  account 
in  the  Gentleman^ s  Magazine : — 
"An  eccentric  old  gentleman  of  the  name 
Knill,  a  private  secretary  some  fifty  or  sixty 
years  ago  to  the  Lord-Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  becom- 
ing afterwards  collector  of  the  port  of  S.  Ives,  built 
a  three-sided  pyramid  of  granite  on  the  top  of  a  high 
hill,  near  the  town  of  S.  Ives.  The  pyramid  is  repre- 
sented as  a  pocket  edition  of  an  Egyptian  one,  and  in 
it  this  gentleman  caused  a  chamber  to  be  built,  with  a 
stone  coffin,  giving  out  his  intention  to  be  buried  there, 
and  leaving  a  charge  on  an  estate  to  the  corporation  of 
S.  Ives  for  the  maintenance  and  repair,  etc.,  of  the 
pyramid.  He,  however,  died  in  London  ;  and  by  his 
latest  will,  so  far  from  perpetuating  the  ostentatious 
idea,  desired  that  his  body  should  be  given  up  to  the 
surgeons  for  dissection,  a  penance,  it  is  supposed,  for 
past  follies,  after  which  the  remains  were  buried  in 
London.  The  pyramid,  however,  still  stands  as  a 
landmark.  On  one  side,  in  raised  letters  in  granite, 
appear  the  words  '  Hie  jacet  nil.'  It  was  understood 
that  the  '  K '  and  another  *  1 '  would  be  added  when  the 
projector  should  be  placed  within  ;  and  on  the  other 
side,  *  Ex  nihilo  nil  fit,'  to  be  filled  up  in  like  manner, 
Knill.  The  mausoleum  obtained  then,  and  still  bears 
the  name  of  Knill's  Folly." 

This  account,    full    of  inaccuracies,    called    forth    a 
letter  to  the  editor  from  a  relative  of  John  Knill,   at 

169 


I70  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Penrose,  by  Helston,  dated  October,  1853,  which 
appeared  in  the  November  issue  of  the  same  magazine. 
He  stated  that  John  Knill  was  educated  for  the  law, 
but  did  not  adopt  it  as  a  profession.  He  preferred  to 
accept  the  office  of  collector  of  customs  at  S.  Ives. 
After  a  while  he  was  sent  as  Inspector-General  of 
Customs  to  the  West  Indies,  whence  he  returned  to  his 
duties  at  S.  Ives,  after  having  discharged  his  office  of 
inspectorship.  In  1777  the  Earl  of  Buckinghamshire, 
who  was  recorder  of  S.  Ives,  invited  Mr.  Knill  to 
accompany  him  to  Ireland  as  his  private  secretary, 
when  he,  the  earl,  had  been  made  lord-lieutenant. 
The  offer  was  accepted. 

In  1782,  thirty  years  before  his  death,  he  erected  the 
mausoleum,  partly  actuated  by  a  philanthropic  motive 
as  affording  a  landmark  to  ships  approaching  the 
port,  and  partly  by  a  wish  to  find  employment  for 
men  at  a  time  of  considerable  distress,  having  also 
a  desire  to  be  buried  there,  if  the  ground  could  be 
consecrated.  This  intention  was  afterwards  aban- 
doned. 

Mr.  Knill  resided  for  some  years  previous  to  his 
death  in  Gray's  Inn,  and  was  a  bencher  of  that 
society.  He  died  there  in  181 1,  and  was  buried  in 
the  vaults  of  S.  Andrew's,  Holborn.  On  one  side  of  the 
monument  is  the  word  ''Resurgam."  On  the  second 
side,  ''I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,"  and  on 
the  third  is  no  inscription  at  all,  and  the  silly  puns 
given  by  the  informant  of  the  Gentlemaii's  Magazine 
had  no  existence  save  in  the  imagination  of  the 
correspondent. 

The  same  writer  adds:  "Though  he  had  a  wide 
circle  of  acquaintances  and  he  was  highly  esteemed 
by  all  who  knew  him,  he  resisted  every  invitation  to 
dine  in  private  society,  and  for  many  years  past  dined 


JOIIX    K.NU.l. 
After  a  picture  by  Opic  in  the  possessioji  of  Captain  Rogers  o;  Penrose 


JOHN    KNILL  171 

at  Dolly's  Coffee  House,  Paternoster  Row,  walking 
through  the  chief  avenues  of  the  town  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  in  order  to  meet  his  friends  and  to  preserve 
his  health  by  moderate  exercise." 

We  are  able  to  supplement  this  scanty  record  from 
a  memoir  of  him  by  Mr.  John  Jope  Rogers,  of  Penrose, 
published  in  187 1  by  Cunnack,  of  Helston. 

John  Knill  was  born  at  Callington  on  January  ist, 
1733.  His  mother  was  a  Pike  of  Plympton,  and  her 
mother  was  an  Edgcumbe  of  Edgcumbe,  it  is  stated  in 
the  memoir,  but  no  entry  of  any  such  marriage  is  in 
the  pedigree  of  the  Edgcumbes  in  Vivian's  Heralds' 
Visitations  of  Devon. 

Mr.  Knill  was  very  desirous  to  trace  a  descent  from 
the  family  of  Knill  of  Knill,  in  Hereford,  but  entirely 
failed  to  do  so. 

John  Knill's  mother,  one  of  the  seven  daughters  of 
Mr.  Pike,  married  secondly  Mr.  Jope,  and  it  is  thus 
that  the  portrait  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir  came  into 
the  possession  of  Mr.  John  Jope  Rogers,  of  Penrose, 
author  of  the  memoir. 

John  Knill,  according  to  Davies  Gilbert,  ''served  his 
clerkship  as  an  attorney  in  Penzance,  and  from  thence 
removed  to  the  office  of  a  London  attorney,  where, 
having  distinguished  himself  by  application  and  in- 
telligence, he  was  recommended  to  the  Earl  of  Buck- 
inghamshire, who,  at  that  time,  held  the  political 
interests  of  S.  Ives,  to  be  his  local  agent."  In  the  year 
1762  he  was  appointed  collector  of  customs  at  S.  Ives, 
in  Cornwall,  and  held  it  during  twenty  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  wrote  to  Mr.  William  Praed,  March 
30th,  1782:  "I  purpose  to  be  in  London  in  May, 
in  order  to  resign  my  office  of  collector,  which  I 
shall  finally  quit  at  the  end  of  next  midsummer 
quarter." 


172  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

In  November,  1767,  he  was  chosen  mayor  of  S.  Ives, 
and  lived  in  a  red-brick  house  facing  the  beach,  in  Fore 
Street.  Although  mayor  and  collector  of  customs,  it 
was  strongly  believed  that  he  was  in  league  with 
smugglers  and  wreckers. 

One  day,  during  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  a  strange  vessel  ran  on  the  rocks  on  the  Hayle 
side  of  Carrick  Gladden,  and  the  crew  escaped  to  land 
and  disappeared.  The  ship,  now  a  derelict,  had 
apparently  no  owner,  and  next  day  a  number  of  people 
boarded  her,  and  found  her  full  of  chinaware  and  other 
smuggled  goods.  The  ship's  papers  could  not  be 
found  ;  they  had  been  carried  off  when  the  crew  deserted 
her,  and  it  was  strongly  supposed  that  they  were  de- 
stroyed, as  implicating  Knill  and  Praed,  of  Trevetho. 
The  customs  officer,  Roger  Wearne,  went  on  board 
and  stuffed  his  clothes  full  of  china  ;  having  a  pair  of 
trousers  on  with  a  very  ample  and  baggy  seat,  he 
thought  he  could  not  do  better  than  stow  away  some  of 
the  choicest  pieces  of  porcelain  there.  But  as  he  was 
getting  down  the  side  of  the  ship  into  the  boat,  very 
leisurely,  so  as  not  to  injure  his  spoils,  a  comrade, 
getting  impatient,  struck  him  on  the  posteriors  with  the 
blade  of  his  oar,  shouting  to  him,  ''Look  out  sharp, 
Wearne  ! "  and  was  startled  at  the  cracking  noise  that 
ensued,  and  the  howl  of  Wearne  when  the  broken 
splinters  of  china  entered  his  flesh. 

In  1773  the  Government  sent  him  to  Jamaica  to 
inspect  the  ports  there ;  he  remained  in  the  West 
Indies  one  year,  and  used  his  eyes  and  ears,  for  in  1779 
he  wrote  an  account  of  the  religion  of  the  Coromandel 
negroes  for  Bryant  Edwards'  History  of  the  West  Indies y 
from  information  he  then  and  there  gathered.  For  his 
services  he  received  from  the  Board  of  Customs  the 
substantial  sum  of  ^^"1500.    He  returned  to  his  duties  at 


I 


CLASS    INhCKlBKU    "SUCCESS     lO    THE    EA(;LE    FRIGATE,    JOHN 
KNILI.   commander" 
From  the  Collection  oj  Percy  Bale,  Esq.  0/  Glasgoiv 


JOHN    KNILL  173 

S.  Ives  in  1774.  In  1777  he  became  private  secretary 
to  the  Earl  of  Buckinghamshire,  in  Dublin,  but  he 
returned  to  S.  Ives  after  six  months  in  Ireland.  In 
1779  he  speculated  in  a  bootless  search  for  treasure, 
which  the  notorious  pirate,  Captain  John  Avery,  was 
supposed,  on  his  return  from  Madagascar,  to  have 
secreted  near  the  Lizard.  But,  as  none  of  the  Lives  of 
that  freebooter  gave  any  hint  of  his  having  done  so, 
the  attempt  was  not  the  least  likely  to  lead  to  satisfactory 
results.  Davies  Gilbert  says  that  Knill  equipped  some 
small  vessels  to  act  as  privateers  against  smugglers, 
but  if  local  tradition  may  be  relied  on,  these  vessels 
were  only  nominally  for  this  purpose,  and  were  actu- 
ally engaged  in  running  contraband  goods  ;  but  this  is 
highly  improbable. 

In  1782  he  was  employed  in  the  service  of  the 
customs  as  inspector  of  some  of  the  western  ports, 
making  occasional  visits  to  London,  where  he  settled 
for  the  rest  of  his  days.  In  1784  he  purchased 
chambers  in  Gray's  Inn  Square,  where  he  died  on 
March  29th,  181 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  He 
was  painted  by  Opie  in  1779,  dressed  in  a  plain 
suit  of  blue,  with  frilled  shirt  and  ruffles.  He  made 
his  half-brother,  the  Rev.  John  Jope,  of  S.  Cleer,  his 
sole  executor. 

It  was  in  the  year  1782  that  John  Knill  erected  his 
mausoleum  on  Worral  Hill,  on  land  purchased  from 
Henry,  Lord  Arundell,  for  five  guineas.  The  total 
cost  of  the  monument  was  ;^226  is.  6d.  Sixpence  a 
year  is  paid  to  the  owner  of  Tregenna  for  a  right  of 
way  to  the  obelisk.  By  a  deed  dated  May  29th,  1797, 
Knill  settled  upon  the  mayor  and  capital  burgesses  of 
S.  Ives,  and  their  successors  for  ever,  an  annuity  of 
;£"io  as  a  rent-charge,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  manor 
of  Glivian,  in   Mawgan,  which  sum  is  annually  to  be 


174  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

put  into  a  chest  which  is  not  to  be  opened  except  at  the 
end  of  every  five  years.  Then,  out  of  the  accumulated 
sum,  a  dinner  was  to  be  given  to  the  mayor,  collector 
of  customs,  and  vicar  of  S.  Ives,  and  two  friends  to  be 
invited  by  each  of  them,  and  ;^  15  to  be  equally  divided 
among  ten  girls,  natives  of  S.  Ives,  under  ten  years 
old,  who  should,  between  10  a.m.  and  noon  on  S. 
James  the  Apostle's  Day,  dance  and  sing  round  the 
mausoleum,  to  the  fiddling  of  a  man  who  was  to 
receive  a  pound  for  so  doing  and  for  fiddling  as  the 
procession  of  girls  went  to  the  obelisk  and  returned. 
One  pound  was  to  be  laid  out  in  white  ribbons  for  the 
damsels  and  a  cockade  for  the  fiddler.  Some  of  the 
money  was  to  go  to  keep  the  mausoleum  in  repair,  and 
there  were  certain  benefactions  also  recorded. 

The  first  Knillian  celebration  took  place  in  July, 
1801,  when,  according  to  the  will  of  the  founder,  a 
band  of  little  girls,  all  dressed  in  white,  with  two 
widows  and  a  company  of  musicians,  marched  in  pro- 
cession to  the  top  of  the  hill,  where  they  danced  about 
the  monument,  then,  as  Knill  desired,  sang  the  Hun- 
dredth Psalm  to  its  old  melody,  and  after  that  returned 
in  the  same  order  to  S.  Ives.  The  ceremony  still  takes 
place  every  fifth  year. 

In  dancing  the  children  sing  the  following  in  chorus: — 

Shun  the  bustle  of  the  bay, 
Hasten,  virgins,  come  away  ; 
Hasten  to  the  mountain's  brow, 
Leave,  O  leave,  S.  Ives  below. 
Haste  to  breathe  a  purer  air, 
Virgins  fair,  and  pure  as  fair ; 
Fly  S.  Ives  and  all  her  treasures, 
Fly  her  soft  voluptuous  pleasures  ; 
Fly  her  sons  and  all  their  wiles. 
Lushing  in  their  wanton  smiles  ; 
Fly  the  splendid  midnight  halls  ; 
Fly  the  revels  of  her  balls  ; 


JOHN    KNILL  175 

Fly,  O  fly  the  chosen  seat, 

Where  vanity  and  fashion  meet. 

Hither  hasten  from  the  ring, 

Round  the  tomb  in  chorus  sing, 

And  on  the  lofty  mountain's  brow,  aptly  dight, 

Just  as  we  should  be,  all  in  white. 

Leave  all  our  troubles  and  our  cares  below. 


THOMAS  TREGOSS 

yA   CERTAIN  Roscadden  going  on  a  pilgrimage  in 
/^        the  days  before  the  Reformation,  and  being 

/— m  absent  some  years,  was  surprised  on  his 
-^  -^-  return  to  find  that  his  wife  had  borne  one 
if  not  more  children.  Very  much  and  very  naturally 
put  out,  he  consulted  with  one  John  Tregoss,  who 
advised  him  to  settle  his  estate  upon  some  friend  whom 
he  could  trust,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  his  children 
whom  he  would  own,  and  for  the  wife  not  to  be  left 
absolutely  destitute  in  the  event  of  his  death.  Mr. 
Roscadden  approved  of  this  counsel,  and  constituted 
John  Tregoss  his  heir  absolutely,  but  always  with  the 
understanding  that  the  said  Tregoss  should  administer 
his  estate  according  to  the  wishes  and  instructions  of 
Roscadden.  But  this  gentleman  dying  soon  after,  John 
Tregoss  entered  on  possession  of  the  estate,  ''turned 
the  wife  and  children  out  of  doors,  who  for  some  time 
were  fain  to  lye  in  an  hog-stye,  and  every  morning 
went  forth  to  the  Dung-hill,  and  there  upon  their  faces 
imprecated  and  prayed  that  the  vengeance  of  God  might 
fall  upon  Tregoss  and  his  posterity  for  this  so  per- 
fidious and  merciless  deed. 

''And  after  this,  God's  severe  but  righteous  judg- 
ments fell  upon  Tregoss's  family.  For  his  son  Walter, 
one  day  riding  upon  a  Horse  in  a  fair  way,  the  horse 
threw  him,  and  broke  his  neck  :  and  some  of  his  issue 
came  to  untimely  ends,  and  it  is  observed  that  a  curse 
hath  remained  ever  since  :   and   this   Mr.   Tregoss  of 

176 


THOMAS   TREGOSS  177 

whom  we  write  was  so  sensible  of  it,  that  it  cost  him 
many  fervent  prayers  to  God  for  the  removal  of  that 
dreadful  curse,  as  himself  assured  a  bosom  friend  " — 
but  it  does  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to  him  to  give  up 
the  heritage  to  the  Roscaddens — that  is,  if  he  were  the 
possessor. 

The  family  of  Tregose,  or  Tregosse,  was  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  neighbourhood  of  S.  Ives.  The  names 
of  Clement  and  John  Tregose  of  S.  Ives  appear  in  the 
Subsidy  Roll  of  1327.  In  the  list  of  circa  1520,  Thomas 
Tres^oos'  lands  in  Towednack  were  assessed  at  the 
yearly  value  of  13s.  4d.,  and  those  of  John  Tregoz,  in 
the  parish  of  S.  Ives,  at  i  is. ;  but  Thomas  also  had  lands 
at  S.  Ives,  valued  the  same  as  those  of  John. 

In  1641,  William  Tregose,  gent.,  had  at  S.  Ives 
goods  to  the  annual  value  of  ;^3. 

Thomas  Tregoss,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  the 
son  of  William  Tregoss  of  S.  Ives.  His  parents  were 
strong  Puritans  and  very  austere,  and  they  hedged 
about  their  son  with  restrictions,  not  suffering  him  to 
partake  in  games  or  any  childish  relaxations  from  the 
strain  of  study  or  the  contemplation  of  religious  themes. 
At  first  he  seemed  to  be  of  poor  capacity,  but  at  the  age 
of  seven  years  he  began  to  show  that  he  had  a  quick 
apprehension  and  a  retentive  memory.  Cut  off  from  all 
worldly  distractions,  he  was  allowed  but  one  direction 
in  which  his  faculties  and  his  ambitions  could  stretch 
and  expand.  He  had  not  the  force  of  character  and 
strength  of  will  to  revolt  against  the  numbing  restraints 
that  bound  him  in.  His  only  play  as  a  boy  was 
standing  on  a  chair  and  preaching  to  his  fellow 
pupils. 

He  was  sent  to  Oxford  and  admitted  into  Exeter 
College,  and  after  a  few  years  spent  there,  returned  to 
S.  Ives  ;  and  as  the  Parliamentary  Commissioners  had 

N 


178  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ejected  the  vicar,  he  was  thrust  in  as  Puritan  preacher 
in  1657,  and  he  then  married  a  Margaret  Sparrow  of 
the  same  way  of  thinking. 

The  life  of  Thomas  Tregoss,  as  given  by  Samuel 
Clark  in  his  Lives  of  Some  Eminent  Persons^  1683, 
is  interspersed  with  Remarkable  Providences  and  Extra- 
ordinary Judgments,  but  for  the  most  part  they  are 
neither  remarkable  nor  interesting-. 

The  following  is,  perhaps,  an  exception  : — 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  S.  Ives,  in  the  summer, 
the  greater  portion  of  the  fishing  season  had  passed 
without  the  pilchards  appearing,  and  this  to  the  great 
distress  of  the  people.  By  the  advice  of  Tregoss  a  day 
was  set  apart  for  humiliation  and  prayer,  and  next  day 
a  shoal  of  pilchards  arrived. 

In  the  ensuing  summer  the  fishermen,  having  taken 
a  great  number  of  fishes  on  the  Saturday,  wanted  to 
spread  and  dry  their  nets  on  the  Sunday.  Tregoss 
learning  this,  came  forth  and  rebuked  and  denounced 
God's  judgment  on  them  if  they  should  profane  the 
"Sabbath"  in  this  manner.  They  did  not  hearken  to 
him,  observing  that  their  nets  must  be  dried  or  would 
rot.  From  that  day  no  more  pilchards  visited  the  bay 
during  that  season. 

From  S.  Ives  Tregoss  was  transferred  to  Mylor 
in  October,  1659,  but  was  ejected  from  the  living  on 
August  24th,  1660,  as  not  ordained,  and  unwilling 
to  receive  ordination,  and  to  subscribe  to  the  articles 
and  confirm  to  the  liturgy.  However,  he  continued 
to  preach  to  a  privately  assembled  number  of  puri- 
tanically minded  people,  and  he  was  proceeded 
against  and  committed  to  the  custody  of  the  marshal 
in  Launceston  gaol,  where  he  remained  for  three 
months,  and  was  then  released  by  order  of  the  Deputy 
Lieutenant. 


THOMAS   TREGOSS  179 

In  September,  1663,  he  removed  to  Kigilliath,  near 
Penryn.  On  October  ist,  1664,  whilst  he  and  his  wife 
were  lying  awake  in  bed,  they  experienced  an  earth- 
quake shock,  and  this  he  held  to  be  **a  symbolick 
image  of  that  trembling  Heartquake  which  he  shortly 
felt  in  his  conversion." 

On  January  ist  ensuing,  he  fell  into  deep  despon- 
dency and  the  spirit  of  bondage — his  liver  being  prob- 
ably out  of  order — till  he  fancied  himself  relieved  by 
receiving  the  spirit  of  adoption.  He  had  been  con- 
verted half  a  dozen  times  before,  but  never  before 
preceded  by  an  earthquake,  so  that  there  could  be  no 
mistake  about  its  reality  this  time. 

Fired  with  new  zeal,  he  broke  into  Mabe  church  at 
the  head  of  a  number  of  his  adherents,  mounted  the 
pulpit,  and  harangued  his  congregation.  For  this  he 
was  arrested  and  imprisoned  again  in  Launceston  gaol, 
but  was  shortly  released,  July  29th,  1665  ;  and  he  had 
the  pleasing  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  a  bull  had 
gored  Justice  Thomas  Robinson,  who  had  sent  him  to 
prison. 

Undeterred  by  what  he  had  gone  through,  he  again 
invaded  Mabe  church,  and  was  again  committed  to 
gaol  on  September  i8th,  but  was  once  more  released, 
on  December  14th. 

On  February  4th,  1666,  he  once  more  broke  into  the 
parish  church  of  Mabe  at  the  head  of  a  body  of 
Puritans,  and  was  again  arrested  and  sent  to  the 
marshal  at  Bodmin,  but  by  the  order  of  the  King  was 
at  once  set  free. 

In  1669  he  was  at  Great  Torrington,  where  he 
preached,  and  was  sent  to  Exeter  gaol,  but  was  at  once 
bailed  out.     He  died  at  Penryn  in  January,  1672. 

On  September  4th,  1775,  John  Wesley  preached  at 
S.   Ives  "in  the  little  meadow  above  the  town,"     He 


i8o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

wrote  in  his  diary  that  *'the  people  in  general  here 
(excepting  the  rich)  seem  almost  persuaded  to  be 
Christians.  Perhaps  the  prayer  of  their  old  pastor, 
Mr.  Tregoss,  is  answered  even  to  the  fourth  genera- 
tion." 


ANTHONY    PAYNE 

jA  NTHONY  PAYNE,  the  ^'Falstaff  of  the 
/%        West,"    was    born    in    the    manor    house, 

/ — ^  Stratton,  the  son  of  a  tenant  farmer,  under 
-^  -^-  the  Grenvilles  of  Stowe.  The  registers  do 
not  go  back  sufficiently  far  to  record  the  date  of  his 
birth.  The  Tree  Inn  is  the  ancient  manor  house  in 
which  the  giant  first  saw  the  light.  He  rapidly  shot 
up  to  preternatural  size  and  strength.  So  vast  were 
his  proportions  as  a  boy,  that  his  schoolmates  were 
accustomed  to  work  out  their  arithmetic  lessons  in 
chalk  on  his  back,  and  sometimes  even  thereon  to 
delineate  a  map  of  the  world,  so  that  he  might  return 
home,  like  Atlas,  carrying  the  world  on  his  shoulders 
for  his  father  with  a  stick  to  dust  out. 

It  was  his  delight  to  tuck  two  urchins  under  his 
arms,  one  on  each  side,  and  climb,  so  encumbered  with 
**his  kittens,"  as  he  called  them,  to  a  height  over- 
hanging the  sea,  to  their  infinite  terror,  and  this  he 
would  call  "showing  them  the  world."  A  proverb 
still  extant  in  Cornwall,  expressive  of  some  unusual 
length,  is  **  As  long  as  Tony  Payne's  foot." 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  taken  into  the 
establishment  at  Stowe.  He  then  measured  seven 
feet  two  inches  in  height  without  his  shoes,  and  he 
afterwards  grew  two  inches  higher.  He  was  not  tall 
and  lanky,  but  stout  and  well  proportioned  in  every 
way.  The  original  mansion  of  the  Grenvilles  at  Stowe 
still  in   part  remains  as  a  farmhouse.     The  splendid 


i82  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

house  of  Stowe,  built  by  the  first  Earl  of  Bath,  was 
pulled  down  shortly  after  171 1,  and  it  was  said  that 
men  lived  who  had  seen  the  stately  palace  raised  and 
also  levelled  with  the  dust.  This  was  at  a  little  dis- 
tance further  inland  than  the  old  Stowe  that  remains. 
The  Grenvilles  had  also  a  picturesque  house  at  Broom 
Hill,  near  Bude,  with  fine  Elizabethan  plaster-work 
ceilings,  now  converted  into  labourers'  cottages. 

At  Stowe  Anthony  Payne  delighted  in  exhibiting 
his  strength.  In  the  hurling-ground  a  rough  block 
of  stone  is  still  pointed  out  as  "Payne's  cast,"  lying 
full  ten  paces  beyond  the  reach  whereat  the  ordinary 
player  could  "put  the  stone." 

It  is  said  that  one  Christmas  Eve  the  fire  languished 
in  the  hall.  A  boy  with  an  ass  had  been  sent  into  the 
wood  for  faggots.  Payne  went  to  hurry  him  back, 
and  caught  up  the  ass  and  his  burden,  flung  them  over 
his  shoulder,  and  brought  both  into  the  hall  and  cast 
them  down  by  the  side  of  the  fire. 

On  another  occasion,  being  defied  to  perform  the 
feat,  he  carried  a  bacon-hog  from  Kilkhampton  to 
Stowe.  Then  came  the  Civil  War,  when  Charles  I 
and  his  Parliament  sought  to  settle  their  differences 
on  the  battlefield.  Cornwall  went  for  the  King,  and 
Anthony  Payne  had  the  drilling  and  manoeuvring  of 
the  recruits  from  Kilkhampton  and  Stratton.  At  one 
time  Sir  Beville  Grenville  had  his  head-quarters  at 
Truro,  but  the  great  battle  of  Stamford  Hill,  May  i6th, 
1643,  was  fought  but  eight  miles  from  Stowe,  and  on 
the  night  preceding  it  Sir  Beville  Grenville  slept 
in  his  house  at  Broom  Hill.  The  battle  was  des- 
perate, the  Royalist  soldiers  being  outnumbered, 
and  attacked  ;  amidst  them  was  Anthony  Payne, 
mounted  on  his  sturdy  cob  Samson,  rallying  his 
troopers   and   terrorizing   the   enemy,    who    fled.       At 


AN  KTNV    I'AVNK 
l-roin  the  picture  hy  Sir  Godfrey  Knetlet 


ANTHONY   PAYNE  183 

the  next  pitched  battle  at  Lansdown,  near  Bath,  the 
forces  of  the  King  were  defeated  and  Sir  Beville  was 
killed.  Anthony  Payne,  having  mounted  John  Gren- 
ville,  then  a  youth  of  sixteen,  on  his  father's  horse,  had 
led  on  the  Grenville  troops  to  the  fight.  The  Rev. 
R.  S.  Hawker  gives  a  letter  from  the  giant  to  Lady 
Grace  Grenville,  conveying  to  her  the  news  of  the  death 
of  her  husband  ;  but  it  is  more  than  doubtful  whether 
this  be  genuine.  He  says  of  it :  "  It  still  survives.  It 
breathes,  in  the  quaint  language  of  the  day,  a  noble 
strain  of  sympathy  and  homage."  It  does  not  exist 
except  in  Mr.  Hawker's  book,  and  is  almost  certainly 
a  fabrication  by  him. 

At  the  Restoration,  Sir  John  Grenville  was  created 
Earl  of  Bath,  and  was  made  governor  of  the  garrison 
of  Plymouth,  and  he  then  appointed  Payne  halberdier 
of  the  guns.  The  King,  who  held  Payne  in  great 
favour,  made  him  a  yeoman  of  his  guards,  and  Sir 
Godfrey  Kneller,  the  Court  artist,  was  employed  to 
paint  his  portrait. 

Whilst  in  Plymouth  garrison  an  incident  occurred 
that  has  been  recorded  by  Hawker.  At  the  mess- 
table  of  the  regiment,  during  the  reign  of  William 
and  Mary,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  day  when 
Charles  I  had  been  beheaded,  a  sub-officer  of  Payne's 
own  rank  had  ordered  a  calf's  head  to  be  served 
up.  This  was  a  coarse  and  common  annual  mockery  of 
the  beheaded  king  indulged  in  by  the  remnants  of  the 
old  fanatical  Puritan  party.  When  Payne  entered 
the  room  his  comrades  pointed  out  the  dish  to  him. 
Anthony  flared  up,  and  flung  the  plate  and  its 
contents  out  of  the  window.  A  quarrel  and  a 
challenge  ensued,  and  at  break  of  day  Payne  and 
his  antagonist  fought  with  swords  on  the  ramparts, 
and    Anthony    ran    the    offender    through    the    sword- 


i84  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

arm  and  disabled  him,  as  he  shouted,  "There's  sauce 
for  thy  calf's  head." 

Hawker,  who  tells  the  story,  supposed  that  the  inci- 
dent occurred  during  the  reign  of  George  I.  But 
Anthony  died  at  an  age  little  short  of  eighty,  and  was 
buried  at  Stratton  July  13th,  1691,  and  William  of 
Orange  did  not  die  till  1702. 

After  his  death  at  Stratton,  which  took  place  in  the 
house  where  he  was  born,  neither  door  nor  stairs 
would  afford  egress  for  the  large  coffined  corpse.  The 
joists  had  to  be  sawn  through,  and  the  floor  lowered 
with  rope  and  pulley,  to  enable  the  giant  to  pass  out  to 
his  last  resting-place,  under  the  south  wall  of  Stratton 
Church.^ 

The  history  of  the  vicissitudes  through  which  went 
the  painting  by  Kneller  is  peculiarly  interesting. 

When  Stowe  was  dismantled,  on  the  death  of  the 
Earl  of  Bath,  the  picture  was  removed  to  Penheale, 
another  Cornish  residence  of  the  Grenville  family. 

But  here  the  portrait  of  him  who  had  done  so  much 
for  the  house  was  not  valued,  and  was  soon  forgotten. 
Gilbert,  the  Cornish  historian,  in  one  of  his  rambles, 
whilst  staying  at  an  old  inn  in  Launceston,  was  in- 
formed that  this  painting  was  still  extant,  and  he 
went  to  Penheale,  where  the  farmer's  wife  occupying 
the  house  said  that  she  did  indeed  possess  "a  carpet 
with  the  effigy  of  a  large  man  on  it,"  that  had  been 
given  to  her  husband  by  the  steward  on  the  estate.  It 
was  rolled  up,  and  in  a  bad  and  dirty  condition.  She 
gladly  sold  it  to  C.  S.  Gilbert  for  £8.  On  Gilbert's 
death  his  effects  were  sold  at  Devonport,  and  a  stranger 
bought  it  for  £^2.  In  London  it  was  recognized  as 
the  work  of  Kneller,  and  was  resold  for  the  sum  of 
;;iJ"8oQ.     It  next  appeared  amongst  the  effects  of  the  late 

'  TliC  hole  is  still  shown  in  the  Tree  Inn,  Stratton. 


ANTHONY    PAYNE  185 

Admiral  Tucker,  at  Trematon  Castle  ;  and  when  the 
sale  took  place  this  picture  was  bought  by  a  gentleman 
in  Devon.  Finally  Mr.  (now  Sir)  Robert  Harvey  pur- 
chased it,  and  most  generously  presented  it  to  the 
Royal  Institution  of  Cornwall. 

The  authorities  for  Anthony  Payne  are  Hawker's 
Footprints  of  Former  Men  in  Cortiwall;  the  Journal 
of  the  R.  Inst,  of  Cornwall,  Vol.  X,  1 890-1  ;  Wood 
(E.  J.),  Giants  atid  Dwarfs,  1868. 

Next  in  size  to  Anthony  Payne  among  big  Cornish- 
men  was  Charles  Chilcott,  of  Tintagel,  who  measured 
6  feet  4  inches  high,  and  round  the  breast  6  feet 
9  inches,  and  who  weighed  460  pounds.  He  was 
almost  constantly  occupied  in  smoking,  three  pounds 
of  tobacco  being  his  weekly  allowance.  His  pipe  was 
two  inches  long.  One  of  his  stockings  would  contain 
six  gallons  of  wheat.  He  was  much  gratified  when 
strangers  came  to  visit  him,  and  to  them  his  usual 
address  was,  "  Come  under  my  arm,  little  fellow."  He 
died  in  his  sixtieth  year,  5th  April,  1815. 


NEVIL  NORTHEY  BURNARD 

WAS  the  son  of  George  Burnard,  a  stone- 
mason, who  lived  at  Penpont,  Altarnon, 
in  a  house  with  mullioned  windows  and 
a  newel  staircase,  said  to  have  been  the 
old  manor  house  of  Penpont.  He  was  born  in  1818, 
and  was  baptized  on  November  ist  in  that  year. 

The  only  education  Nevil  received  was  from  his 
mother,  who  kept  a  dame's  school  and  made  straw 
bonnets  in  her  spare  time. 

He  was  mortar-boy  to  his  father,  and  would  often 
slip  away  and  cut  figures  of  men  and  animals  on  an  old 
oak  door,  getting  many  a  '*  lacing  "  for  not  minding  his 
proper  work.  His  earliest  tools  were  nails,  which  he 
sharpened  on  a  grinding-stone,  before  he  had  any 
chisels. 

There  was  at  that  time  no  machinery  for  facing  slate 
slabs  ;  so  he  used  an  old  French  "burr" — i.e.  part  of 
a  French  millstone.  Such  millstones  were  constructed 
in  four  parts,  cemented  together.  This  "  burr"  he  put 
into  a  rough  frame  of  wood,  and  used  it  like  a  plane 
over  the  face  of  the  slate,  which  was  laid  on  a  bench, 
or  "horse."  The  existing  examples  of  slabs  worked 
in  this  way  are  most  excellent,  in  flatness  and  in 
smoothness. 

The  Delabole  slate  had  been  employed  for  many 
centuries  for  tombstones  and  monuments,  and  lent 
itself  surprisingly  to  being  sculptured.  In  the  North 
Cornish  churches   are    numerous   examples  of    monu- 

186 


NEVIL    .NORTHKY    HURNARIJ 

From  a  bas-relief  by  the  sculptor  hiniseif,  /«  the  possession  of  S.  Pearn,  Esq., 

Altarnoii 


NEVIL   NORTHEY    BURNARD  187 

merits  richly  sculptured  with  heraldic  figures  of  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  all  on  slate,  and 
sharp  to  this  day  as  when  they  left  the  workshop. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  Nevil  cut  a  tombstone  to  his 
grandfather  ;  that  is  now  in  Altarnon  churchyard, 
and  affords  evidence  of  skill,  artistic  sense,  and  fine- 
ness of  detail.  There  are  other  stones  of  his  in  the 
same  churchyard  ;  also  one  or  two  by  his  brother 
George.  An  old  man  is  still  alive  in  Altarnon  who 
used  to  sharpen  the  nails  on  a  grindstone  for  Burnard, 
with  which  he  did  his  carving  on  slate. 

At  fifteen  he  left  Altarnon.  Wesley's  head,  over  the 
porch  of  the  old  Meeting-house,  Penpont,  was  cut  by 
him  when  he  was  sixteen. 

From  Altarnon  he  went  to  Fowey,  and  the  late  Sir 
Charles  Lemon,  of  Carclew,  took  him  by  the  hand. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  carved  in  slate  the  group  of 
Laocoon,  sent  in  1834  ^o  the  Exhibition  of  the  Royal 
Cornwall  Polytechnic  Society  at  Falmouth.  This 
carving  in  bass-relief,  executed  by  a  boy  from  a  wild 
moorland  village,  without  instruction,  copied  from 
a  wood-cut  in  the  Penny  Magazine y  and  with  tools  of 
his  own  making,  was  considered  so  very  remarkable 
a  production  that  the  Society  awarded  him  a  silver 
medal.  Nevil  was  sent  to  London,  and  through  Sir 
Charles  Lemon's  influence  was  presented  to  the  Queen 
and  Prince  Consort,  and  he  was  allowed  to  cut  a  profile 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  then  a  boy,  and  this  portrait 
was  sent  to  Osborne,  and  was  approved  by  the  Royal 
parents.  Sir  Charles  Lemon  further  introduced  the 
lad  to  Chantrey,  who  secured  for  him  employment  as  a 
carver  in  one  of  the  most  celebrated  ateliers  in  London. 

Burnard  reproduced  his  profile  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales  in  marble  for  the  Public  Hall  at  Falmouth,  and 
the  general  opinion  expressed  upon  it  was  that  it  amply 


i88  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

sustained  the  early  expectation  which  had  been  formed 
of  his  talents. 

Thus  fairly  launched  in  his  profession  as  a  carver  in 
London,  he  found  employment  in  the  studios  of  the 
best  sculptors  of  the  day,  as  Bailey,  Marshall,  and 
Foley  ;  and  there  was  no  lack  of  work,  and  no  falling 
short  of  pay. 

Caroline  Fox,  in  her  Memories  of  Old  Friends,  says  : — 
''  1847,  October  4th. — Burnard,  our  Cornish  sculptor, 
dined  with  us.  He  is  a  great,  powerful,  pugilistic-look- 
ing fellow  at  twenty-nine  ;  a  great  deal  of  face,  with  all 
the  features  massed  in  the  centre  ;  mouth  open,  and  all 
sorts  of  simplicities  flowing  out  of  it.  He  liked  talking  of 
himself  and  his  early  experiences.  His  father,  a  stone- 
mason, once  allowed  him  to  carve  the  letters  on  a  little 
cousin's  tombstone  which  would  be  hidden  in  the  grass  ; 
this  was  his  first  attempt,  and  instead  of  digging  in  the 
letters  he  dug  around  them,  and  made  each  stand  out  in 
relief.  His  stories  of  Chantrey  very  odd  :  on  his  death 
Lady  Chantrey  came  into  the  studio  with  a  hammer  and 
knocked  off  the  noses  of  many  completed  busts,  so  that 
they  might  not  be  too  common — a  singular  attention  to 
her  departed  lord.  Described  his  own  distress  when 
waiting  for  Sir  Charles  Lemon  to  take  him  to  Court :  he 
felt  very  warm,  and  went  into  a  shop  for  some  ginger- 
beer  ;  the  woman  pointed  the  bottle  at  him,  and  he  was 
drenched.  After  wiping  himself  as  well  as  he  could  he 
went  out  to  dry  in  the  sun.  He  went  first  to  London 
without  his  parents  knowing  anything  about  it,  because 
he  wished  to  spare  them  anxiety,  and  let  them  know 
nothing  until  he  could  announce  that  he  was  regularly 
employed  by  Mr.  Weekes.  He  showed  us  his  bust  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales — a  beautiful  thing,  very  intellectual, 
with  a  strong  likeness  to  the  Queen — which  he  was 
exhibiting  at  the  Polytechnic,  where  it  will  remain." 


Wesley's  head  over  i  he  old  meeting-house,  penpont,  ai.taknon 

Ciii  by  lhiriiard',u/ien  i6  years  o/  age 


35    5  « 


NEVIL    NORTHEY    BURNARD  189 

''  1849,  March  ist. — Found  a  kindly  note  from 
Thomas  Carlyle.  He  has  seen  '  my  gigantic  country- 
man,' Burnard,  and  conceives  that  there  is  real  faculty 
in  him  ;  he  gave  him  advice,  and  says  he  is  the  sort  of 
person  whom  he  will  gladly  help  if  he  can.  Burnard 
forwarded  to  me,  in  great  triumph,  the  following  note 
he  had  received  from  Carlyle  with  reference  to  a  pro- 
jected bust  of  Charles  Buller :  ^  February  2$ih,  1849.  .  .  . 
Nay,  if  the  conditions  never  mend,  and  you  cannot  get 
that  Bust  to  do  at  all,  you  may  find  yet  (as  often  turns 
out  in  life)  that  it  was  better  for  you  you  did  not. 
Courage  !  Persist  in  your  career  with  wise  strength, 
with  silent  resolution,  with  manful,  patient,  unconquer- 
able endeavour ;  and  if  there  lie  a  talent  in  you  (as 
I  think  there  does),  the  gods  will  permit  you  to  develop 
it  yet. — Believe  me,  yours  very  sincerely,  T.  Carlyle.'" 

On  the  return  of  Richard  Lander  from  Africa,  after 
having  traced  the  Niger  through  a  great  part  of  its 
course,  Burnard  was  commissioned  to  execute  a  statue 
of  the  explorer  for  the  column  erected  in  Lander's 
honour  at  Truro.  His  only  other  public  work  of  any 
consequence  was  the  statue  of  Ebenezer  Elliott,  the 
Corn-law  Rhymer,  for  the  market-place  of  Sheffield  ; 
but  he  was  employed  in  executing  portrait  busts  of 
many  men  of  importance,  as  General  Gough,  Professor 
John  Couch  Adams,  his  fellow-Cornishman,  Pro- 
fessor Ed.  Forbes,  and  one  of  Makepeace  Thackeray, 
which  Burnard  gave  as  a  present  to  the  Cottonian 
Library  at  Plymouth,  where  it  now  stands  above  the 
door. 

He  exhibited  in  the  Royal  Academy  in  1855,  1858, 
1866,  and  1867.  He  married  in  London,  but  lost  his 
wife,  and  then  took  to  drink.  The  boys,  as  he  said, 
jeered  at  him,  and  called  him  *'  Old  Burnard." 

As  a  man,  he  was  tall  and  big,  with  an  enormous 


I90  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

head  which  no  ordinary  hat  would  fit ;  so  that  his  hats 
had  to  be  made  for  him. 

Eventually  he  went  "on  tramp,"  paying  periodical 
visits  to  old  friends  at  Altarnon.  He  would  make 
sketches,  draw  portraits,  at  farms  and  in  public-houses  ; 
was  ready  to  write  an  article  for  a  newspaper,  or  to 
make  an  election  squib,  for  either  side;  and  was,  in  fact, 
as  clever  with  his  pen  and  pencil  as  he  was  with  chisel. 

He  was  a  most  entertaining  companion,  and  able  to 
converse  on  any  subject. 

Thus  he  lived  by  his  wits,  mixing  with  the  highest, 
but  by  preference  with  the  lowest.  The  last  time  he 
visited  Altarnon  was  in  1877,  three  years  before  his 
death  ;  he  remained  there  on  that  occasion  for  a  week, 
with  hardly  any  clothes  to  his  back,  and  was  boarded 
by  his  old  playmate,  Mr.  S.  Pearn,  and  slept  in  the 
common  lodging-house,  Five-lanes.  After  having  been 
fitted  out  with  fresh  clothes  by  some  friends  he  pro- 
ceeded to  the  west  of  the  county. 

During  this  last  visit  at  Altarnon  he  drew  some  large 
pencil  heads,  which  show  a  firm  and  delicate  hand,  but 
he  delighted  in  minute  execution.  There  is  also 
evidence  that  his  mind  at  this  time  was  as  steady  as 
his  hand,  for  he  composed  a  poem  on  the  death  of  Mr. 
F.  Herring,  one  or  two  verses  of  which  may  be  given. 

I  stood  beside  the  spot  where  late  you  laid  him, 
The  spot  to  each  of  us  most  hallowed  ground  ; 
After  the  angels  had  in  white  array'd  him, 
And  his  smooth  brows  with  flowers  immortal  crown'd. 


Who  in  the  wilderness  would  wish  to  wander, 
Whose  feet  have  trodden  once  the  promised  land  ? 
Believe  that  all  is  well,  nor  pause  to  ponder 
On  things  that  mortals  cannot  understand. 
He  is  most  bless'd  that  is  the  firmest  trusting-. 
Believing  One  that's  wiser  far  than  he, — 
Is,  for  his  good,  the  balance  still  adjusting  ; 
So — tell  my  parents  not  to  mourn  for  me. 


NEVIL   NORTHEY    BURNARD  191 

I  now  can  see  what  might  have  been  my  story, 
Had  I  remained  through  man's  allotted  day  : 
(Sorrow  for  joy,  dark  age  for  youth  and  glory  :) 
And  bless  the  love  that  hastened  me  away. 
And  wafted  me  across  the  mystic  river. 
Where  all  discords  and  elements  agree, 
Calmed  by  His  word,  that  can  from  death  deliver, 
So  tell  my  loved  ones  not  to  mourn  for  me. 

He  was  equally  ready  to  lampoon  any  one,  whether 
friend  or  foe  ;  probably  accommodating  his  muse  to  the 
humour  of  those  with  whom  he  happened  to  be. 

One  day  he  had  been  making  a  sketch  of  a  farmer 
called  Nicoll,  and  resorted  to  the  public-house  in  Lis- 
keard  with  his  patron.  Whilst  there  he  scribbled  on  a 
piece  of  paper  and  handed  to  his  friend  Nicoll : — 

Cash  is  scarce,  and  fortune's  fickle  ; 
I  should  like  to  draw  some  silver  now, 
As  I've  all  day  been  drawing  nickel. 

There  is  at  Penpont  House,  Altarnon,  a  small 
profile  head  of  Burnard  executed  by  himself.  It 
is  a  cameo  in  plaster  of  Paris.  He  is  said  to  have 
sketched  his  face  by  looking  in  a  mirror,  and  then 
cut  an  intaglio  in  slate  from  his  drawing. 

Nevil  N.  Burnard  died  in  the  Union,  Redruth,  of 
heart  and  kidney  complaint,  27th  November,  1878. 


SIR    GOLDSWORTHY    GURNEY,  KNT., 
INVENTOR 

THIS  man  of  remarkable  versatility  and  genius 
was  the  fourth  son  of  John  Gurney,  of  Tre- 
vargus  ;  he  was  born  at  Treator,  near  Pad- 
stow,    on    February    14th,    1793,    and    was 
baptized  at  Padstow  on  the  ensuing  26th  June. 

He  was  named  after  his  godmother,  a  daughter  of 
General  Goldsworthy  and  a  maid  of  honour  to  Queen 
Charlotte.  He  was  educated  at  the  Truro  Grammar 
School,  and  during  part  of  his  holidays  was  wont  to 
stay  with  a  relative,  the  rector  of  S.  Erth,  in  which 
parish  lived  Mr.  Davies  Giddy  (who  afterwards  changed 
his  name,  and  was  better  known  as  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert, 
President  of  the  Royal  Society),  in  whose  house  he 
very  frequently  met  Richard  Trevithick,  a  plain,  un- 
pretending man,  of  great  genius,  connected  with  the 
neighbouring  copper  mines,  who  lived  near,  and  who 
often  consulted  Mr.  Giddy  on  mathematical  calcula- 
tions connected  with  the  steam-engine  and  his  me- 
chanical inventions.  Although  so  young,  Mr.  Gurney, 
whose  natural  bent  was  for  these  subjects,  soon  formed 
an  acquaintance  with  this  singularly  original  and 
talented  man,  and  he  continued  during  the  period  of 
his  medical  studies  in  correspondence  with  him. 

Mr.  Gurney  saw  Trevithick's  first  steam-carriage  in 
1804,  and  followed  closely  his  improvements  and  ex- 
periments on  locomotion,  and  he  remembered,  more- 

192 


5.  C.  Smith,  ,ic: 


ir  Sharp,  lithog. 


SIR    GOI.DSWOKTHY    GURNEV 


SIR  GOLDSWORTHY  GURNEY,    KN  i .    193 

over,  the  contemptuous  treatment  this  gifted  man 
received  at  the  hands  of  the  engineers  of  the  day. 

His  views  were  described  as  *'  wild  theories,"  and  his 
plans  were  scoffed  at.  But  Mr.  Giddy  or  Gilbert 
encouraged  Trevithick  to  go  on  and  not  be  discouraged, 
and  Richard  Trevithick  became  the  inventor  of  the 
locomotive  as  well  as  of  the  high-pressure  engine.  His 
first  locomotive  was  constructed  to  travel  on  common 
roads;  he  afterwards  modified  it  and  set  it  to  run  on 
rails  at  Merthyr  Tydvil.  The  trial  was  made  there  on 
February  4th,  1804.  In  the  year  1813  he  exhibited  his 
locomotive  on  a  temporary  railway,  laid  for  the  purpose 
near  Euston  Square,  and  showed  the  great  speed  it  was 
capable  of  attaining.  This  speed,  however,  was  only 
maintained  while  the  accumulated  steam  in  the  boiler  was 
worked  off,  but  his  experiment  showed  that,  if  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  steam  could  be  '  *  kept  up, "  as  he  termed 
it,  the  speed  might  be  maintained  for  any  distance  and 
any  length  of  time.  But  how  was  this  to  be  effected  ? 
That  was  the  difficulty,  and  that  difficulty  arose  out  of 
another — how  was  a  sufficient  draught  to  be  created  to 
keep  the  fire  in  the  furnace  at  full  activity  ?  As  the 
locomotive  moved  it  created  a  draught  the  reverse  of 
that  required  for  the  fire,  and  unless  a  strong  and  steady 
draught  into  the  furnace  could  be  created,  sufficient 
heat  could  not  be  generated  to  produce  a  sufficient  and 
continuous  amount  of  steam. 

Trevithick  in  his  first  locomotive  had  discharged  the 
steam  up  the  funnel  to  get  rid  of  it,  but  without  any 
idea  of  creating  a  vacuum  by  means  of  which  a  draught 
could  be  caused.  Stephenson  did  the  same.  Mr. 
Smiles  has  claimed  that  the  "steam-jet"  was  invented 
by  Stephenson,  but  this  was  not  the  case.  The  steam 
used  in  Trevithick's  and  Stephenson's  engines  was 
waste  or  exhaust  steam,  discharging  itself  through  the 


194  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

funnel  indeed,  but  not  filling  it,  so  that  it  created  no 
perceptible  draught. 

Mr.  Smiles  says:  "The  steam  after  performing 
its  duty  in  the  cylinders  was  at  first  allowed  to  escape 
into  the  open  atmosphere  with  a  hissing  blast,  to  the 
terror  of  horses  and  cattle.  It  was  complained  of  as 
a  nuisance,  and  a  neighbouring  squire  threatened  to 
commence  an  action  against  the  colliery  lessees  unless 
it  was  put  a  stop  to." 

Accordingly  the  steam  was  introduced  into  the  funnel 
about  half-way  up  at  the  side  so  as  to  get  rid  of  it  and 
obviate  the  objection  of  the  noise.  But  the  evidence 
that  Stephenson  had  discovered  that  it  could  be  em- 
ployed to  create  a  draught  is  inconclusive. 

Goldsworthy  Gurney  had  been  placed  at  Wadebridge 
with  Dr.  Avery  as  a  medical  pupil,  and  there  he 
married  Elizabeth  Symons  in  1814.  He  settled  down 
at  Wadebridge  as  a  surgeon,  but  his  active  mind  would 
not  let  him  rest  as  a  small  country  practitioner  ;  he  felt 
that  he  had  powers  and  visions  that  would  bring  him 
before  the  public  as  an  inventor  and  a  benefactor. 
Accordingly  he  moved  to  London  in  1820,  where  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  several  able  physicians,  and 
was  called  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  on  the  elements 
of  chemical  science  at  the  Surrey  Institute.  It  was  in 
1823  that  he  began  his  experiments  with  steam  and  on 
locomotion,  and  he  abandoned  the  medical  profession 
in  order  to  devote  himself  to  these  researches.  His 
desire  was  to  construct  an  engine  that  would  travel 
on  common  roads,  and  travel  at  a  more  rapid  pace  than 
horses. 

Now  Stephenson,  in  his  evidence  before  a  Parlia- 
mentary Committee,  stated  that  the  rate  at  which  his 
locomotive  travelled  was  "from  3  to  5  or  6  miles 
an  hour." 


SIR  GOLDSWORTHY  GURNEY,   KNT.     195 

"  ^.  So  that  these  hypothetical  cases  of  12  miles  an 
hour  do  not  fall  within  your  general  experience? 

'^  A.  They  do  not. 

**  Q.  Laying  aside  the  12  miles  an  hour,  I  think  the 
rate  at  which  these  experiments  were  made  was  about 
6|  miles  to  7  ? 

^^  A.   I  think  the  average  was  6|  miles." 

In  the  first  edition  of  Nicholas  Wood's  Treatise  on 
Railways^  1829,  occurs  this  passage:  "It  is  far  from 
my  wish  to  promulgate  to  the  world  that  the  ridiculous 
expectations,  or  rather  professions,  of  the  enthusiastic 
specialist,  will  be  realized,  and  that  we  shall  see  them 
travelling  at  the  rate  of  12,  16,  18,  or  20  miles  an  hour. 
Nothing  could  do  more  harm  towards  their  adoption  or 
general  improvement  than  the  promulgation  of  such 
nonsense." 

Before  a  second  edition  appeared,  Mr.  Gurney's 
steam-jet  had  revolutionized  the  engine,  and  it  blew 
this  absurd  passage  out  of  the  book  and  the  disbelief 
out  of  Wood's  head. 

Nicholas  Wood  was  a  viewer  at  Killingworth  Colliery, 
and  assisted  George  Stephenson  in  his  experiments,  and 
he  first  saw  the  steam-blast  in  Mr.  Hackworth's  Sans 
Pareil  in  1829,  so  that  gentleman  had  adopted  it  on  Mr. 
Gurney's  recommendation  and  according  to  his  plan. 

Wood  thus  describes  what  he  then  saw:  "Mr. 
Hackworth  had,  it  appears,  in  his  engine,  resorted  to 
the  use  of  the  waste  steam  in  a  more  forcible  manner 
than  before  used,  throwing  it  up  in  a  jet,  and  which, 
when  the  engine  moved  at  a  rapid  rate,  and  the  steam 
thereby  almost  constantly  issued  from  the  pipe,  had  a 
most  powerful  effect.  The  consequence  was,  that  when 
the  engine  began  to  travel  at  the  rate  of  twelve  or 
fifteen  miles  an  hour,  the  draught  was  so  great  that  it 
actually  threw  the  coke  out  of  the  chimney." 


196  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

Here  then  is  the  first  sight  of  the  steam-blast  to 
Nicholas  Wood,  fellow-worker  with  George  Stephenson. 
He  knew  nothing  of  it  before. 

But  Goldsworthy  Gurney's  steam  -  blast  had  been 
adopted  before  this  on  steamboats.  It  was  first  applied 
to  the  Alligator  in  1824;  then  to  the  Duchess  of 
Clarence,  and  other  steamboats.  It  had  made  its  way 
into  France. 

In  the  Lords'  Committee  Report  of  1849  on  ''Acci- 
dents in  Mines,"  a  Mr.  Keene,  engineer  of  Bayonne, 
was  examined. 

"  Q.  Have  you  ever  seen  Mr.  Gurney's  plan  used  on 
the  Continent? 

"  ^.  It  has  been  used  on  the  Continent  for  producing 
draughts  in  furnace-chimneys. 

"  Q.  Furnace-chimneys — for  what  purpose? 

^^  A.  Where  the  draught  has  been  sluggish  ;  I  used  it 
to  get  a  stronger  draught  on  board  a  steamboat  in  1830,  to 
enable  me  to  stem  the  strong  currents  of  the  Garonne. 

"  Q.  Have  you  any  knowledge  of  some  experiments 
made  by  Mr.  Gurney  in  the  year  1826  with  respect  to 
the  power  of  the  steam-jet? 

' M .  I  saw  frequent  experiments  made  by  Mr.  Gurney 
in  1826  to  produce  draught  by  the  action  of  high-pressure 
steam,  exactly  in  the  same  way  as  it  is  now  employed 
for  producing  ventilation  in  the  collieries ;  that  is, 
there  were  a  number  of  jets  of  about  a  quarter  to  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  diameter,  communicating  directly 
with  a  high-pressure  boiler  ;  the  cock  being  open,  the 
full  steam  from  the  boiler  was  brought  upon  those  jets, 
and  a  draught  was  produced  by  their  action  in  the 
chimney-shaft. 

"  ^.   In  the  chimney-shaft  of  a  locomotive  engine? 

^^  A.  In  the  chimney-shaft  of  a  locomotive  and  in  the 
shaft  of  a  factory;  the  experiments  were  tried  in  various 


SIR  GOLDSWORTHY  GURNEY,    KNT.     197 

ways.  I  saw  these  experiments  frequently ;  many 
other  persons  saw  them  at  the  same  time  ;  and  I  em- 
ployed the  same  myself  shortly  afterwards  for  a  like 
purpose  abroad." 

Mr.  Keene  in  his  evidence  further  stated,  in  answer 
to  the  question  whether  Mr.  Gurney's  experiments 
were  open  to  the  public  : — 

"Many  persons  visited  the  place  daily,  and  the 
carriage  went  out  into  the  road,  and  into  the  barracks, 
and  was  often  surrounded  by  a  group  of  persons.  It 
was  understood  and  known  how  this  draught  was 
procured,  because  the  passage  of  the  steam  was  heard 
up  the  chimney  when  the  carriage  was  still,  and  the 
great  draught  of  the  furnace  was  the  occasion  of 
remark  by  everybody  who  was  around  it ;  they  were 
quite  surprised  how  such  a  great  current  could  be 
produced  with  so  small  a  height  of  chimney  :  it  was 
a  very  remarkable  thing,  and  drew  attention  from 
everybody  around  at  that  time." 

The  principle  of  the  action  of  the  steam-blast  was 
simple  enough.  It  was  to  fill  the  funnel  with  high- 
pressure  steam,  which  would  act  much  as  the  sucker 
in  a  pump,  exhaust  the  air  and  draw  up  air  through 
the  furnace,  as  the  cone  of  steam  escaped  out  of  the 
funnel.  To  act  thus,  the  steam  must  completely  fill 
the  chimney,  allowing  of  no  down  draught. 

This  was  what  had  entirely  escaped  Trevithick  and 
Stephenson.  Up  to  the  discovery  of  the  steam-jet  by 
Gurney,  the  waste  steam,  as  has  been  stated,  was  use- 
lessly dispersed  through  the  chimney. 

In  1827,  Gurney  took  a  steam-carriage  he  had  con- 
structed to  Cyfarthfa,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Crawshay, 
and  while  there  applied  his  steam-jet  to  the  blast- 
furnaces. This  gave  a  great  impetus  to  the  manu- 
facture of  iron. 


198  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Stephenson  now  adopted  it,  and  employed  it  for  his 
locomotive  the  Rocket^  that  ran  on  the  Liverpool  and 
Manchester  Railway  in  October,  1829.  Previously  on 
one  occasion  Stephenson  had  run  his  engine  con- 
tinuously for  fifty-three  minutes  doing  twelve  miles.  But 
now,  with  the  adoption  of  the  steam-blast,  it  attained 
a  velocity  of  twenty-nine  miles  an  hour. 

''It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  success  of  the 
locomotive  depended  upon  the  adoption  of  the  steam- 
blast.  Without  that,  by  which  the  intensity  of  com- 
bustion, and  the  consequent  evolution  of  steam,  were 
maintained  at  the  highest  point,  high  rates  of  speed 
could  not  have  been  kept  up,  the  advantages  of  the 
multitubular  boiler  afterwards  invented  could  never 
have  been  fairly  tested,  and  locomotives  might  still 
have  been  dragging  themselves  unwieldily  along  at 
little  more  than  five  or  six  miles  an  hour."^ 

It  had  been  in  July  of  the  same  year  that  Gurney  had 
made  a  journey  in  his  steam-coach  from  London  to 
Bath  and  back  again,  on  the  main  road,  at  the  rate 
of  fifteen  miles  an  hour.  This  journey,  undertaken  at 
the  request  of  the  quartermaster-general  of  the  army, 
was  the  first  long  journey  at  a  maintained  speed  ever 
made  by  any  locomotive  on  road  or  rail. 

Mr.  Gurney's  steam-coach  was,  of  course,  provided 
with  the  steam-jet. 

The  Mirror  of  December  15th,  1827,  says:  "Mr. 
Goldsworthy  Gurney,  whose  name  is  familiar  to  most 
of  our  readers,  after  a  variety  of  experiments  during 
the  last  two  years,  has  completed  a  steam-carriage  on 
a  new  principle.  We  have  accordingly  introduced  the 
annexed  engraving,  which  will  enable  our  readers  to 
enter  into  the  details  of  the  machinery.  First  as  to  its 
safety,  upon  which  point  the  public  are  most  sceptical. 

^  ?)m\\&s  {S.),  Lives  of  the  Engineers, Vqi\.  Ill,  p.  loo.    Loudon,  1862. 


SIR  GOLDSWORTHY  GURNEY,    KNT.    199 

In  the  present  invention  it  is  stated  that  even  from  the 
bursting  of  the  boiler  there  is  not  the  most  distant 
chance  of  mischief  to  the  passengers.  The  boiler  is 
tubular,  and  upon  a  plan  totally  distinct  from  anything 
previously  in  use.  .  .  .  The  weight  of  the  carriage 
and  its  apparatus  is  estimated  at  i\  tons,  and  its  wear 
and  tear  of  the  road,  as  compared  with  a  carriage 
drawn  by  four  horses,  is  as  one  to  six.  When  the 
carriage  is  in  progress  the  machinery  is  not  heard. 
The  engine  has  a  12-horse  power,  but  may  be  increased 
to  16  ;  while  the  actual  horse-power  in  use,  except  in 
ascending  a  hill,  is  but  eight  horses.  .  .  .  Mr. 
Gurney  has  already  secured  a  patent  for  his  inven- 
tion ;  but  he  has  our  best  wishes  for  permanent 
success." 

Sir  Charles  Dance  in  183 1  ran  a  steam-coach  of 
Gurney's  make  between  Gloucester  and  Cheltenham 
five  times  a  day  for  four  months,  and  during  this  time 
carried  three  thousand  passengers  some  four  thousand 
miles,  without  a  single  accident  occurring. 

There  seemed  to  be  every  prospect  of  the  steam- 
carriage  superseding  the  mail-coach,  and  indeed  of 
private  gentlemen  setting  up  their  Gurney  steam- 
carriages,  as  now  they  run  their  motors.  But  trustees 
of  roads,  coach-proprietors,  coachmen,  and  other  in- 
terested persons  formed  a  strong  body  of  opposition. 
How  violent  this  was  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that 
on  one  occasion  a  pile  of  stones  eighteen  inches  high 
was  thrown  across  the  road,  and  in  struggling  through 
it  the  axle  of  the  coach  was  broken. 

But  prejudice  and  dullness  are  mighty  powers. 

How  little,  mark  !  that  portion  of  the  ball, 
Where,  faint  at  best,  the  beams  of  Science  fall ; 
Soon  as  they  dawn,  from  Hyperborean  skies 
Embody'd  dark,  what  clouds  of  Vandals  rise  ! 


200  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Parliament  interfered.  Tolls  on  highways  were 
raised  to  a  prohibitive  rate,  so  that  the  running  of  steam- 
conveyances  was  brought  to  a  standstill.  A  committee 
of  the  House  of  Commons,  appointed  in  1831  to  inquire 
into  the  matter,  reported  ''that  the  steam-carriage  was 
one  of  the  most  important  improvements  in  the  means 
of  internal  communication  ever  introduced  ;  that  its 
practicability  had  been  fully  established  ;  and  that  the 
prohibitory  clauses  against  its  use  ought  to  be  im- 
mediately repealed."  The  committee  recommended  that 
the  Turnpike  Act  should  be  repealed.  It  ascertained 
that  upon  the  Liverpool  and  Prescot  road  Mr.  Gurney 
would  be  charged  £2  8s.,  while  a  loaded  stage-coach 
would  have  to  pay  4s.  On  the  Bath  road  the 
same  carriage  would  be  charged  £\  7s.  id.,  while  a 
coach  drawn  by  four  horses  would  pay  5s.  On  the 
Ashburton  and  Totnes  road  Mr.  Gurney  would  have 
to  pay  £2,  while  a  coach  drawn  by  four  horses  would  be 
charged  only  3s.  On  the  Teignmouth  and  Dawlish 
road  the  proportion  was  12s.  to  2S. 

The  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Steam-Carriages, 
ordered  to  be  printed  by  the  House  of  Commons, 
1 2th  October,  1831,  was  reasonable  and  just.  It  re- 
ported : — 

"Besides  the  carriages  already  mentioned,  'twenty 
or  forty  others  are  being  built  by  different  persons,  all 
of  which  have  been  occasioned  by  his  (Mr.  Gurney's) 
decided  journey  in  1829.' 

"The  committee  have  great  pleasure  in  drawing  the 
attention  of  the  House  to  the  evidence  of  Mr.  Farey. 
He  states  that  he  has  no  doubt  whatever  but  that  a 
steady  perseverance  in  such  trials  will  lead  to  the 
general  adoption  of  steam-carriages  ;  and  again,  that 
what  has  been  done  proves  the  practicability  of  impel- 
ling stage-coaches  by  steam  on  good  common  roads, 


SIR  GOLDSWORTHY  GURNEY,   KNT.    201 

without  horses,  at  a  speed  of  eight  or  ten  miles  an 
hour. 

"Much,  of  course,  must  remain  to  be  done  in  im- 
proving their  efficacy  ;  yet  Mr.  Gurney  states  that  he 
has  kept  up  steadily  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  per  hour ; 
that  the  extreme  rate  at  which  he  has  run  is  between 
twenty  and  thirty  miles  per  hour. 

"The  several  witnesses  have  estimated  the  probable 
saving  of  expense  to  the  public,  from  the  substitution 
of  steam  power  for  that  of  horses,  at  from  one-half  to 
two-thirds.  Mr.  Farey  gives,  as  his  opinion,  that 
steam-coaches  will  very  soon  after  their  establishment 
be  run  for  one-third  of  the  cost  of  the  present  stage- 
coaches. 

"Sufficient  evidence  has  been  adduced  to  convince 
your  committee — 

"That  carriages  can  be  propelled  by  steam  on 
common  roads  at  an  average  rate  of  ten  miles  per 
hour. 

"That  they  can  ascend  and  descend  hills  of  con- 
siderable inclination  with  facility  and  safety. 

"  That  they  are  perfectly  safe  for  passengers. 

"  That  they  are  not  nuisances  to  the  public. 

"That  they  will  become  a  speedier  and  cheaper 
mode  of  conveyance  than  carriages  drawn  by  horses. 

"That  such  carriages  will  cause  less  wear  of  roads 
than  coaches  drawn  by  horses. 

"That  rates  of  toll  have  been  imposed  on  steam- 
carriages,  which  would  prohibit  their  being  used  on 
several  lines  of  road,  were  such  charges  permitted  to 
remain  unaltered." 

But  the  House  of  Commons  would  not  listen  to  the 
recommendations  of  its  committee,  and  the  employ- 
ment of  motors  as  means  of  locomotion  on  roads  was 
postponed  till  the  present  age,  when  again  dullness  did 


202  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

its  best  to  impede  the  adoption  and  to  drive  the  manu- 
facture out  of  England  to  France. 

Mr.  Goldsworthy  Gurney  was  in  advance  of  his  time, 
and  had  to  suffer  accordingly.  The  committee  had 
suggested  that  as  the  prohibition  of  steam-coaches  on 
roads  was  a  ruinous  blow  to  Gurney,  he  should  be 
indemnified  with  a  grant  of  ;!^i6,ooo.  But  the  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchequer  refused  the  grant,  and  the  Bill, 
after  passing  the  Commons,  was  thrown  out  by  the 
Lords. 

So  the  unfortunate  Goldsworthy  Gurney,  after  having 
abandoned  his  profession,  in  which  he  was  rapidly 
gaining  a  large  practice,  and  after  spending  ;^30,ooo 
and  five  years  of  toil  to  perfect  his  invention,  was  ruined. 

Another  of  his  inventions  was  the  Bude  light,  at 
first  intended  for  lighthouses.  For  this  he  obtained 
a  patent  in  1838.  In  its  first  form  it  consisted  of  a 
common  Argand  oil  lamp  of  rather  narrow  circular 
bore  and  the  introduction  into  the  centre  of  the  flame 
of  a  jet  of  oxygen.  This  was  not,  however,  an  original 
discovery,  for  it  had  been  employed  by  Dr.  Ure  in 
Glasgow  in  1806  or  1807.  But  it  was  found  to  be  too 
expensive  for  use  in  lighthouses,  nor  was  the  brilliancy 
of  the  flame  sufficiently  heightened  to  lead  the  Masters 
of  Trinity  House  to  adopt  it. 

Mr.  Gurney  was  not  discouraged.  It  had  long  been 
known  that  by  dissecting  a  flame  of  the  compound  jet 
of  hydrogen  and  oxygen  upon  a  bit  of  clay  a  most 
vivid  illumination  was  set  forth.  But  Mr.  Gurney  sub- 
stituted lime  for  clay  as  less  liable  to  disintegration  by 
heat;  and  he  adopted  the  Argand  lamp  with  an  improve- 
ment such  as  had  been  suggested  and  adopted  from 
Fresnel.  This  consisted  in  a  lamp  composed  of  a 
series  of  four,  five,  or  six  concentric  wicks  on  the  same 
plane,    supplied    with    oil   from    a   fountain   below  by 


SIR  GOLDSWORTHY  GURNEY,   KNT.    203 

means  of  a  pump  ;  and  he  obtained  a  second  patent  in 
1839.  He  next  applied  his  principle  to  gas,  purified 
in  a  peculiar  manner,  and  burned  in  compound  Argand 
lamps,  consisting  of  two  or  more  concentric  rings  per- 
forated with  rows  of  holes  in  their  upper  surfaces, 
having  intervals  between  the  rings  for  the  admission 
of  an  upward  rush  of  air  to  maintain  a  high  incandes- 
cence. The  intensity  and  whiteness  of  the  light  thus 
produced  by  the  combustion  of  coal-gas  surpassed 
anything  hitherto  discovered  till  the  production  of  the 
mantle-burner. 

It  was  he,  moreover,  who  proposed  the  flash-light  for 
lighthouses,  as  a  means  by  which  seamen  might 
identify  lighthouses.  He  proposed  that  a  powerful 
light  should  be  made  by  periodic  flashes  to  correspond 
with  the  number  of  the  lighthouse,  and  that  every 
lighthouse  along  the  coast  should  have  a  registered 
number,  so  that  the  number  of  flashes  per  minute 
should  represent  the  lighthouse. 

Gurney  was  present  at  Sir  W.  Snow  Harris's  ex- 
periment on  Somerset  House  terrace  with  wire  for 
ships'  lightning-conductors.  Turning  to  Sir  Anthony 
Carlisle,  in  reference  to  the  magnetic  needle  which,  as 
he  observed,  made  starts  on  meeting  the  poles  of  a 
galvanic  battery,  he  said  with  the  inspiration  of  genius, 
"Here  is  an  element  which  may,  and  I  foresee  will, 
be  made  the  means  of  intelligible  communication." 

Whilst  engaged  at  the  Surrey  Institution  he  in- 
vented the  oxyhydrogen  blow-pipe.  Before  this  was 
introduced  the  risk  of  accident  was  so  great  that  re- 
course was  seldom  had  to  oxyhydrogen. 

Gurney  applied  his  steam-jet  to  other  purposes  than 
propelling  locomotives  and  exciting  the  ardour  of 
furnaces  in  ironworks.  By  its  means  he  extinguished 
the  fire  of  a  burning  coal-mine  at  Astley,  in   Lanca- 


204  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

shire,  and  in  1849  another  at  Clackmannan,  where  the 
bed  of  coal  had  been  burning  for  over  thirty  years.  He 
also  employed  it  for  expelling  noxious  gases  from  sewers, 
and  planned  and  superintended  in  1849  the  ventila- 
tion by  this  means  of  the  pestilential  sewer  in  Friar 
Street,  London,  which  resisted  all  other  efforts  to  cleanse 
it ;  and  he  suggested  to  the  metropolitan  commissioner 
of  sewers  that  a  steam-jet  apparatus  should  be  placed 
at  the  mouth  of  every  sewer  emptying  into  the  great 
main  sewer  by  the  Thames  river-side. 

He  was  employed  on  the  lighting,  heating,  and 
ventilation  of  the  old  House  of  Commons,  and  he  held 
the  appointment  of  superintendent  of  these  functions 
from  1854  to  1863. 

He  had  remarked  that  the  flame  of  hydrogen  gas 
caused  vibrations  that  produced  musical  tones,  and 
in  1823  wrote  on  *'the  analogy  between  chemical 
and  musical  combinations."  He  suggested  "an  im- 
proved finger-keyed  musical  instrument,  in  the  use  of 
which  a  performer  is  enabled  to  hold  or  prolong  the 
notes,  and  to  increase  or  modify  the  tone  at  pleasure." 
In  1825  and  1833  he  proposed  "certain  improvements 
in  musical  instruments."  He  invented  a  stove,  and 
saw  and  advocated  the  advantage  of  the  employment 
of  circulation  of  hot  water  for  the  heating  of  a  building. 
He  advocated  the  employment  of  concrete  for  founda- 
tions where  there  was  no  rock,  and  to  show  that  it  was 
possible  to  build  a  house  upon  the  sand,  he  reared  the 
castle  at  Bude  upon  concrete  floated  into  the  shifting 
sand  above  high-water  mark.  He  again  was  the  first  to 
point  out  and  insist  on  the  necessity  for  there  being 
two  shafts  to  every  colliery,  so  as  to  maintain  a  cir- 
culation of  air. 

For  several  years  Mr.  Gurney  resided  at  Hanacott 
Manor,  near  Launceston,  but  he  had  also  a  house  at 


SIR  GOLDSWORTHY   GURNEY,    KNT.    205 

Reeds,  in  Poughill  by  Bude,  and  the  castle  at  the  latter 
place,  which  is  usually  let.  He  was  knighted  in  1863 — 
a  tardy  acknowledgment  of  his  great  services  and 
extraordinary  ability.  The  honour  came  too  late  to 
really  advantage  him.  That  same  year  he  was  stricken 
with  paralysis,  and  therefore  could  do  nothing  in  the 
way  of  scientific  research  and  invention.  He  was 
attended  till  his  death  by  his  only  child,  a  daughter. 
Miss  Anna  D.  Gurney.  He  expired  at  Reeds  on  the 
28th  February,  1875,  and  was  buried  at  Launcells  in 
the  graveyard  just  under  the  south  wall  of  the  nave. 

Like  Henry  Trengrouse,  so  with  Sir  Goldsworthy 
Gurney — a  man  of  genius  and  perseverance,  and  one 
who  benefited  mankind,  received  no  adequate  recog- 
nition in  his  lifetime.  May  posterity  do  for  him,  as 
for  Trengrouse,  what  his  contemporaries  denied  him. 
Mr.  Smiles  vainly  endeavoured  to  refuse  to  credit  him 
with  the  invention  of  the  steam-blast ;  but  the  writer 
of  his  life  in  the  Dictionary  of  National  Biography 
afforded  him  tardy  justice.  *'  One  soweth  and  another 
reapeth  "  is  true  of  all  inventors  with  few  exceptions. 
How  much  do  we  owe  to  Sir  Goldsworthy  !  He  was  the 
pioneer  of  locomotion  by  motors  on  our  roads,  the  sal- 
vation of  many  lives  by  the  ventilation  of  coal-mines  ; 
he  invented  the  system  of  heating  mansions  by  hot 
water,  the  flash-light  for  lighthouses,  the  steam-blast 
revolutionizing  locomotion  by  steam  ;  he  showed  that 
houses  could  be  built  on  concrete  foundations  ;  he  dis- 
covered the  limelight,  the  oxyhydrogen  blow -pipe: 
and  he  was  repaid  with  a  barren  knighthood  when 
about  to  be  struck  down  by  paralysis. 

For  his  bounty, 
There  was  no  winter  in't ;  an  autumn  'twas, 
That  grew  the  more  by  reaping. 

Antony  and  Cleopatra,  v.  2. 


THE   JANES 

THE  family  of  Jane,  descended  from  the  ancient 
family  of  Janes  of  Worcestershire,  was  settled 
in  Cornwall  at  an  early  date.  It  bore  as  its 
arms,  arg.  a  lion  rampant  az.  between  3  escal- 
lops gules.  It  was  settled  in  S.  Winnow  early  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  following 
century  was  at  Lanhydrock  and  at  Liskeard,  at  which 
latter  place  Thomas  Jane  was  mayor  in  1621.  His  son 
Joseph  Jane  was  M.P.  for  Liskeard  in  1625  and  1640, 
and  was  mayor  in  163 1,  1635,  ^"d  1636.  He  married 
Loveday,  daughter  of  William  Kekewich,  in  1633.  He 
was  a  whole-hearted  Royalist,  and  when  the  King  was  at 
Oxford,  in  1643,  he  attended  him  there.  In  the  following 
year  he  was  one  of  the  Royal  Commissioners  in 
Cornwall,  and  when  Charles  I  came  to  Cornwall,  in 
1644,  he  entertained  him  in  August  in  his  house  at 
Liskeard. 

During  1645  and  1646  he  carried  on  a  correspondence 
with  Edward  Hyde,  afterwards  Earl  of  Clarendon,  on 
the  condition  of  the  Royalist  cause  in  Cornwall. 
Liskeard  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Parliamen- 
tarians, but  Sir  Ralph  Hopton  defeated  Ruthven  on 
Braddock  Down  on  January  19th,  1643,  and  recovered 
Liskeard  for  the  King.  Ruthven  fled  to  Saltash, 
which  he  fortified  with  much  expedition. 

When  the  Royal  cause  was  lost  the  vengeance  of 
the  Parliament  fell  on  Joseph  Jane,  and  he  was  nearly 
ruined  by  the  heavy  composition  he  was  forced  to  pay. 

206 


THE   JANES  207 

In  1650,  and  again  in  1654,  he  was  named  Clerk  of 
the  Royal  Council,  but  it  was  an  empty  honour ; 
Charles  II  could  pay  nothing,  and  the  Council  could 
only  grumble  and  plot. 

Jane  attempted  to  answer  Milton's  Ef/fovo/cXao-r*/?  in  a 
work,  EiKiiov  aKXa(TT09,  the  Unbroken  Image,  but  it  was  a 
poor  performance.  It  was  published  in  1651;  Hyde 
says,  however,  in  a  letter  to  Secretary  Nicholas,  "the 
King  hath  a  singular  good  esteem  both  of  Joseph  Jane 
and  of  his  book." 

He  had  a  son,  William  Jane,  baptized  at  Liskeard, 
22nd  October,  1645,  who  was  educated  at  Westminster 
School,  elected  student  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  1660, 
and  graduated  B.A.  in  1664,  and  M.A.  in  1667,  and  D.D. 
in  1674.  After  his  ordination  he  was  appointed  lecturer 
at  Carfax.  He  attracted  the  attention  of  Henry  Comp- 
ton,  who  became  Canon  of  Christ  Church  in  1669,  by 
his  sturdy  loyalty  and  orthodoxy  ;  and  when  Compton 
became  Bishop  of  Oxford,  he  chose  Jane  to  preach  the 
sermon  at  his  consecration,  and  he  appointed  him  one 
of  his  chaplains. 

In  1670  he  became  Canon  of  Christ  Church,  and  was 
given  the  living  of  Winnington  in  Essex.  In  1679  he 
received  a  prebendal  stall  in  S.  Paul's  Cathedral  and 
the  archdeaconry  of  Middlesex.  In  May,  1680,  he 
was  appointed  Regius  Professor  of  Divinity  at  Oxford. 
This  rapid  promotion  was  due  in  part  to  the  staunch 
loyalty  of  his  father  and  the  losses  of  his  family  on 
that  account,  but  also  to  his  cool,  businesslike  abilities, 
and  to  his  learning,  which  though  not  profound  was 
good. 

In  July,  1683,  he  framed  the  Oxford  declaration  in 
favour  of  Passive  Obedience,  and  committed  the  Uni- 
versity to  an  opinion  which  subsequent  events  were 
calculated  to  stultify. 


2o8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

As  Green  says:  "The  Cavaliers  who  had  shouted 
for  the  King's  return,  had  shouted  also  for  the  return 
of  a  free  Parliament.  The  very  Chief  Justice  who 
asserted  at  the  trial  of  the  Regicides,  the  general  free- 
dom of  the  King  from  any  responsibility  to  the  Nation, 
asserted  just  as  strongly  that  doctrine  of  ministerial 
responsibility,  against  which  Charles  the  First  had 
struggled.  It  was  the  desire  of  every  royalist  to  blot 
out  the  very  memory  of  the  troubles  in  which  monarchy 
and  freedom  had  alike  disappeared,  to  take  up  again, 
as  if  it  had  never  been  broken,  the  thread  of  our 
political  history.  But  the  point  at  which  even  royalists 
took  it  up  was  not  at  the  moment  of  the  Tyranny,  but 
at  the  moment  of  the  Long  Parliament's  first  triumph, 
when  that  Tyranny  had  been  utterly  undone.  In  his 
wish  to  revive  this  older  claim  of  the  Crown,  which  the 
Long  Parliament  had  for  ever  set  aside,  the  young 
King  found  himself  alone.  His  closest  adherents,  his 
warmest  friends,  were  constitutional  royalists  of  the 
temper  of  Falkland  and  Culpepper.  Partisans  of  an 
absolute  monarchy,  of  such  a  monarchy  as  his  grand- 
father had  dreamed  of  and  his  father  had  for  a  few  years 
carried  into  practice,  there  now  were  none." 

The  clergy  in  advocating  passive  obedience  were 
actuated  by  the  sense  of  the  miseries  through  which 
England  had  passed  during  the  Great  Rebellion — 
better  to  submit  under  protest  than  to  fly  to  arms 
again,  better  certainly  to  submit  even  to  what  was 
deemed  an  injustice  or  inexpedient,  when  the  Crown 
was  hedged  about  with  restrictions,  and  when  the 
ministers  of  the  Crown  were  responsible  to  the  nation. 
There  was,  however,  a  noisy  and  vehement  party  that 
went  much  beyond  this,  and  one  Filmer  had  worked 
the  theory  of  Divine  Right  of  the  Sovereign  into  a 
system,    that   was   accepted    by   the    more    crazy   and 


THE   JANES  209 

immoderate  of  the  old  Tory  party,  mainly  among  the 
clergy ;  and  the  Oxford  declaration  went  a  long  way  in 
this  direction.  Men  were  beating  about  for  a  theory 
on  which  to  base  Government  by  a  King,  they  had  not 
grasped  the  truth  that  the  King  represents  the  people, 
just  as  does  a  President  in  a  Republic,  but  with  the 
superaddition  of  Divine  ratification  and  imparted  grace 
for  the  task  of  ruling,  by  unction  and  coronation.  That 
the  Kings  of  England  had  ever  been  elected,  and  that 
coronation  was  the  confirmation  by  God,  through  the 
Church,  of  the  choice  of  the  people,  had  been  forgotten 
through  the  prevalence  of  feudal  ideas  in  the  Middle 
Ages.  Filmer  propounded  his  doctrine  that  the  Divine 
Right  rested  in  primogeniture,  and  the  rabid  Tories, 
looking  out  for  a  theory,  snatched  at  this  for  want  of 
a  better. 

On  the  very  day  on  which  Russell  was  put  to  death, 
the  University  of  Oxford  adopted  by  a  solemn  public 
act,  drawn  up  by  Jane,  this  strange  doctrine,  and 
ordered  the  political  works  of  Buchanan,  Milton,  and 
Baxter  to  be  publicly  burned  in  the  court  of  the 
schools. 

James  II,  in  hopes  of  winning  the  Earl  of  Rochester 
to  join  the  Papal  Church,  desired  a  disputation 
between  some  Roman  divines  and  some  of  the  Church 
of  England,  making  no  doubt  that  the  former  would 
be  able  to  confound  the  latter.  The  King  bade 
Rochester  to  choose  English  divines,  excluding  two 
only,  Tillotson  and  Stillingfleet,  dreading  the  latter 
as  a  consummate  master  of  all  controversial  weapons. 
Rochester  selected  Simon  Patrick  and  Jane.  The 
conference  took  place  at  Whitehall  on  November  13th, 
1686,  but  no  auditor  was  suffered  to  be  present  save 
the  King. 

"The  subject  discussed,"  says  Macaulay,  "was  the 


2IO  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

Real  Presence.  The  Roman  Catholic  divines  took  on 
themselves  the  burden  of  the  proof.  Patrick  and  Jane 
said  little,  nor  was  it  necessary  that  they  should  say 
much  ;  for  the  Earl  himself  undertook  to  defend  the 
doctrine  of  his  Church,  and,  as  was  his  habit,  soon 
warmed  with  the  conflict,  lost  his  temper,  and  asked 
with  great  vehemence  whether  it  was  expected  that  he 
should  change  his  religion  on  such  frivolous  grounds." 

In  1685  Jane  had  been  appointed  to  the  deanery  of 
Gloucester.  He  resigned  the  archdeaconry  of  Middle- 
sex in  1686,  but  retained  the  canonries  of  Christ 
Church  and  S.  Paul's  till  his  death. 

In  1688  James  II  had  fled  the  kingdom,  and  the 
English  nation  and  Parliament  had  accepted  William 
and  Mary  as  King  and  Queen  of  England. 

The  whole  fabric  of  Divine  Right  had  crumbled  to 
the  ground.  James  had  reduced  the  theory  to  a  reductio 
ad  hnpossibile.  This  even  the  lay  cavaliers  had  recog- 
nized. ''A  man  convinced  against  his  will  is  of 
the  same  opinion  still,"  and  it  was  so  with  the  more 
fanatical  Tories  among  the  clergy.  They  refused  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  William  and  Mary,  and 
were  thrust  out  of  their  cathedral  thrones  and  stalls 
and  livings,  and  joined  the  sect  of  the  Nonjurors. 

But  Jane  was  not  one  of  them.  He  had  the  good 
sense  to  acknowledge  that  the  theory  he  had  taken  up 
with  some  ardour  was  as  impracticable  as  it  was 
absurd.  It  was  cast  in  his  teeth  that  he  changed 
his  opinion  because  he  desired  to  retain  his  benefices. 
One  need  not  take  this  view  of  his  conduct.  He 
sought  William  of  Orange  at  Hungerford,  and 
assured  him  of  the  adhesion  of  the  University  of 
Oxford.  His  enemies  said  that  he  hinted  at  the  same 
time  his  readiness  to  accept  the  vacant  bishopric  in 
return  for  his  services  in  securing  this  sign  of  devotion. 


THE   JANES  211 

But  nothing  is  more  easy  than  to  make  such  an 
accusation,  and  there  is  no  proof  that  he  did  this. 
However,  the  fact  that  the  framer  of  the  Oxford 
declaration  should  have  thrown  over  the  principles 
advocated  therein,  laid  him  open  to  attack,  and  a 
shower  of  epigrams  fell  on  him.  His  name  Jane 
gave  good  opportunity  to  the  wits  to  liken  him  to 
Janus,  who  looked  two  ways  at  once.  But  he  showed 
no  further  desire  to  court  the  favour  of  William,  and 
he  opposed  the  projects  for  Comprehension  favoured  by 
the  latitudinarians,  Tillotson  and  Burnet.  In  1689  two 
Bills  had  been  introduced  into  Parliament,  a  Toleration 
and  a  Comprehension  Bill.  The  former  was  to  grant 
facilities  of  worship  to  the  Puritans  and  other 
Dissenters  ;  the  other  was  a  Bill  for  altering  the  creed 
and  the  formulas  and  ceremonies  of  the  Church,  re- 
moving from  them  whatever  might  be  distasteful  to 
the  Dissenters,  so  that  all  excuse  might  be  taken  from 
them  for  separating  themselves  from  the  Church.  Both 
the  King  and  Tillotson,  who  all  knew  was  destined  by 
the  King  to  be  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  Burnet, 
Bishop  of  Salisbury,  were  eager  to  get  both  passed. 
Tillotson  was  so  latitudinarian  that  his  churchman- 
ship  was  nebulous.  Burnet  was  the  son  of  a 
Covenanter  who  had  been  hanged,  had  been  brought 
up  in  Presbyterianism,  had  found  satisfaction  in  the 
ministry  of  Calvanist  pastors  in  Holland,  and  had  not 
the  faintest  conception  of  the  principles  of  the  Church 
or  of  its  true  organization. 

The  Earl  of  Nottingham  advocated  the  Compre- 
hension Bill  and  drafted  both.  The  Toleration  Bill 
passed  both  Houses  with  little  debate.  But  it  was 
otherwise  with  the  Comprehension  Bill.  The  first 
clause  in  this  dispensed  all  the  ministers  in  the  Church 
from    the    necessity    of    subscribing    the    Thirty-nine 


212  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Articles.  Then  it  was  provided  that  any  minister  who 
had  been  ordained  after  the  Presbyterian  fashion  might 
be  eligible  to  any  benefice  in  the  Church  without 
ordination  by  the  bishop. 

Then  followed  clauses  providing  that  a  clergyman 
might  wear  the  surplice  or  not  as  he  thought  fit ;  it  left 
the  sign  of  the  cross  optional  in  baptism  ;  and  provided 
that  the  Eucharist  need  not  be  received  kneeling.  The 
concluding  clause  was  drawn  in  the  form  of  a  petition  ; 
it  was  proposed  that  the  two  Houses  should  request  the 
King  and  the  Queen  to  issue  a  commission  empower- 
ing thirty  divines  of  the  Church  of  England  to  revise 
the  liturgy,  the  canons,  and  the  constitution  of  the 
ecclesiastical  courts,  and  to  recommend  such  altera- 
tions as  might  seem  to  them  desirable. 

But  this  Bill  roused  serious  opposition.  It  was  felt 
by  all  who  had  any  respect  and  feeling  for  the  Church, 
as  one  in  all  times  from  the  Apostolic  period,  who 
regarded  her  claim  to  maintain  the  same  faith,  the 
same  Apostolic  constitution  and  the  same  sacraments, 
as  from  the  earliest  age  of  the  Church,  that  this  Com- 
prehension Bill  if  it  became  law  must  of  necessity 
alienate  them  from  such  a  body— drenched  with  Protes- 
tantism, till  scarcely  a  tinge  of  the  old  wine  of  Catholi- 
cism remained  in  her  ;  and  would  leave  them  no  other 
course  open  than  to  shake  off  the  dust  of  their  feet 
against  her  and  join  the  Church  of  Rome,  or  the 
Church  of  the  Nonjurors.  Most  of  the  bishops  who  had 
taken  the  oaths  to  William  and  Mary  were  placed  on 
the  Commission  ;  and  with  them  were  joined  twenty 
priests  of  note.  Of  these  twenty,  Tillotson  was  the 
most  important  as  expressing  the  mind  and  wishes  of 
the  King.  He  was  a  latitudinarian,  without  a  spark  of 
feeling  for  historic  Christianity.  With  him  went 
Stillingfleet,  Dean  of  S.  Paul's,  Sharp,  Dean  of  Nor- 


THE   JANES  213 

wich,  Patrick,  Dean  of  Peterborough,  Tenison,  Rector 
of  S.  Martin's,  and  Fowler.  But  conspicuous  on  the 
other  side  were  Aldrich,  Dean  of  Christ  Church,  and 
Jane,  Regius  Professor  of  Divinity  at  Oxford. 

Early  in  October,  1689,  the  commissioners  assembled 
in  the  Jerusalem  Chamber.  But  hardly  had  they  met 
before  Sprat,  Bishop  of  Rochester,  started  up  and 
denied  that  the  Commission  was  legal.  There  was  a 
sharp  altercation,  violent  words  were  flung  about,  and 
Sprat,  Jane,  and  Aldrich  withdrew.  The  strength  of 
the  Catholic  party  was  broken,  and  the  rest  agreed  to 
sanction  nearly  all  the  changes  advocated  by  those  who 
desired  to  entirely  alter  the  character  of  the  Church. 

"They  had  before  them,"  Burnet  tells  us,  "all  the 
exceptions  that  either  the  Puritans  before  the  war,  or 
the  Nonconformists  since  the  Restoration,  had  made  to 
any  part  of  the  Church  service  ;  they  had  also  many 
propositions  and  advices  that  had  been  offered,  at 
several  times,  by  many  of  our  bishops  and  divines 
upon  those  heads  ;  matters  were  well  considered  and 
freely  and  calmly  debated  ;  and  all  digested  into  an 
entire  correction  of  everything  that  seemed  liable  to 
any  just  objection."  To  guide  them,  as  Burnet  admits 
in  his  Triennial  Visitation  Charge  of  1704,  they  were 
furnished  with  a  great  collection  of  the  books  and 
papers  in  which  the  Dissenters  had  at  different  times 
set  forth  their  demands.  The  Commission  was  pre- 
pared to  surrender  everything.  The  chanting  of 
psalms,  even  in  cathedrals,  was  to  be  done  away  with. 
The  lessons  from  the  Apocrypha  were  to  be  abolished. 
The  Saints'  days  omitted  from  the  Calendar,  the  form 
of  absolution  altered,  remission  of  sins  to  be  removed 
from  it  "as  not  very  intelligible."  The  cross  in  bap- 
tism, the  use  of  god-parents,  the  wearing  of  the 
surplice   were   to    be   optional.     Episcopal    ordination 


214 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


was  not  to  be  required  of  the  Ministry.  Kneeling  to 
receive  the  Holy  Communion  was  left  to  the  choice  of 
the  Communicant ;  the  collects,  as  too  concise,  were  to 
be  blown  out  with  pious  bombast. 

It  is  possible  that,  as  Calamy  asserts,  such  altera- 
tions as  these  would  have  brought  over  two-thirds 
of  the  English  Dissenters  to  the  Established  Church  ; 
but  it  is  certain  that  it  would  have  driven  two-thirds 
of  the  members  of  the  Church,  lay  and  clerical,  out  of 
her,  as  having  forfeited  her  claim  to  be  a  branch  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  they  would  probably  have  swelled 
the  ranks  of  the  Nonjurors,  and  made  of  that  com- 
munion a  body  that  would  have  really  represented  the 
Church  in  England. 

Owing  to  the  secession  of  the  Nonjurors,  sees  and 
benefices  had  been  filled  with  men  who  were  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  views  of  Tillotson  and  Burnet,  or  who 
were  only  solicitous  to  live  in  the  smiles  of  William. 
Little  resistance,  if  any,  was  to  be  expected  from  the 
episcopal  bench. 

When  the  Commission  had  concluded  its  labours, 
writs  were  issued  summoning  the  Convocation  of  the 
Province  of  Canterbury.  The  clergy  were  in  a  ferment 
throughout  England.  They  thought  that  the  heritage 
of  faith  was  going  to  be  taken  from  them.  The  Tolera- 
tion Act  had  removed  the  disabilities  of  the  Dissenters; 
they  might  build  their  conventicles  and  preach  what 
and  when  they  liked  ;  why,  then,  open  the  doors  of 
the  Church  to  admit  them  as  a  flood  to  swamp  the 
faithful  ? 

When  the  Declaration  of  Toleration  had  been  issued 
by  James  II,  in  1687,  removing  all  disabilities  from  the 
Dissenters,  on  the  sole  understanding  that  they  should 
abstain  from  attacking  the  Churches  of  Rome  and 
England,  their  preachers  found  that  they  had  nothing 


THE   JANES  215 

to  say.  They  preferred  to  be  under  disabilities  rather 
than  give  up  assaults  on  the  Scarlet  Woman,  Babylon, 
the  Beast,  and  Prelacy,  its  shadow. 

When  Convocation  was  elected,  it  became  evident  to 
all  that  the  bulk  of  the  priests  were  against  all  water- 
ing down  of  the  formulas  of  the  Church,  her  faith,  her 
ritual.  The  most  important  office  in  Convocation  was 
that  of  Prolocutor  of  the  Lower  House.  The  Pro- 
locutor was  to  be  chosen  by  the  members  ;  Tillotson 
was  proposed  by  the  Protestant  party  as  one  whom  the 
King  delighted  to  honour,  and  who  it  was  well  known 
would  be  appointed  to  the  Archbishopric  of  Canter- 
bury when  vacant. 

On  November  20th,  Convocation  met  in  Henry  VH's 
Chapel  at  Westminster.  "Compton  was  in  the  chair. 
On  the  right  and  left  those  suffragans  of  Canterbury 
who  had  taken  the  oath  were  ranged  in  gorgeous  vest- 
ments of  scarlet  and  miniver.  Below  the  table  was 
assembled  the  crowd  of  presbyters.  Beveridge  preached 
a  Latin  sermon,  in  which  he  warmly  eulogized  the  exist- 
ing system,  and  yet  declared  himself  favourable  to  a 
moderate  reform."  In  a  word,  he  blew  hot  and  cold 
with  the  same  breath. 

The  Lower  House  listened,  unstirred,  cold  and  reso- 
lute. Dean  Shays,  put  forward  by  the  members 
favourable  to  Comprehension,  proposed  Tillotson  ; 
Jane  was  proposed  on  the  other  side.  After  an 
animated  discussion,  Jane  was  elected  by  fifty-five 
votes  to  twenty-eight. 

The  Prolocutor  was  then  formally  presented  to  the 
Bishop  of  London,  and  made,  according  to  ancient 
usage,  a  Latin  oration,  in  which  he  eulogized  the 
Church  in  England  as  maintaining  the  faith  as  de- 
livered to  the  saints,  and  as  preserving  all  the  marks  of 
the  Catholic  Church  throughout  all  ages  and  all  the 


2i6  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

world  ;  and  he  very  plainly  declared  that  no  alteration 
in  a  downward  direction  would  be  tolerated  ;  and  he 
concluded  with  the  significant  and  well-known  words, 
**  Nolumus  leges  Anglias  mutari." 

It  soon  became  evident  that  the  Lower  House  was 
absolutely  determined  not  to  have  the  proposed  altera- 
tions made  ;  but  the  plan  they  adopted  was  to  shun  the 
discussion  of  the  recommendations  made  by  the  Com- 
missioners, so  as  not  directly  to  reject  what  they  knew 
lay  very  near  to  the  King's  heart.  With  this  object 
they  adopted  a  system  of  tactics  that  in  the  end  an- 
swered their  purpose. 

"The  law,"  says  Macaulay,  "as  it  had  been  inter- 
preted during  a  long  course  of  years,  prohibited  Con- 
vocation from  even  deliberating  on  any  ecclesiastical 
ordinance  without  a  previous  warrant  from  the  Crown. 
Such  a  warrant,  sealed  with  the  Great  Seal,  was 
brought  in  form  to  Henry  the  Seventh's  Chapel  by 
Nottingham.  He  at  the  same  time  delivered  a  mes- 
sage from  the  King.  His  Majesty  exhorted  the  assem- 
bly to  consider  calmly  and  without  prejudice  the  re- 
commendations of  the  Commission,  and  declared  that 
he  had  nothing  in  view  but  the  honour  and  advantage 
of  the  Protestant  religion  in  general  and  of  the  Church 
of  England  in  particular. 

* '  The  bishops  speedily  agreed  on  an  address  of  thanks 
for  the  royal  message,  and  requested  the  concurrence  of 
the  Lower  House.  Jane  and  his  adherents  raised 
objection  after  objection.  First  they  claimed  the  privi- 
lege of  presenting  a  separate  address.  When  they  were 
forced  to  waive  this  claim,  they  refused  to  agree  to  any 
expressions  which  implied  that  the  Church  of  England 
had  any  fellowship  with  any  other  Protestant  commu- 
nity. Amendments  and  reasons  were  sent  backward  and 
forward.     Conferences  were  held  at  which  Burnet  on 


THE   JANES  217 

one  side  and  Jane  on  the  other  were  the  chief  speak- 
ers. At  last,  with  great  difficulty,  a  compromise  was 
made  ;  and  an  address,  cold  and  ungracious  compared 
with  that  which  the  bishops  had  framed,  was  presented 
to  the  King  in  the  Banqueting  House.  He  dissembled 
his  vexation,  returned  a  kind  answer,  and  intimated  a 
hope  that  the  assembly  would  now  at  length  proceed  to 
consider  the  great  question  of  Comprehension."  But 
this  was  precisely  what  they  were  resolute  not  to  con- 
sider. They  had  made  up  their  minds  on  the  subject 
already,  but  they  were  unwilling  to  fly  too  openly  in 
the  face  of  the  King.  As  for  trusting  the  bishops  to 
stand  firm  on  any  principle,  the  Lower  House  knew 
that  this  was  not  to  be  expected.  When  had  the 
bishops  of  the  Established  Church,  since  the  Reforma- 
tion, ever  shown  firmness  and  united  action  on  any 
principle,  except  once,  and  that  was  to  oppose  general 
Toleration  ? 

So  soon  as  the  clergy  were  again  assembled,  a 
fresh  difficulty  was  started.  It  was  mooted  that 
the  Nonjuring  bishops  had  not  been  summoned, 
and  they  were  to  be  regarded  as  bishops  of  the 
Catholic  Church  quite  as  certainly  as  were  those 
nominees  of  the  King  who  had  been  intruded  into 
their  vacated  thrones. 

Then  it  was  complained  that  scurrilous  pamphlets 
were  hawked  about  the  streets,  and  the  people  were 
being  worked  into  a  temper  of  opposition  to  Convoca- 
tion. It  was  asked  why  Convocation  should  be  called 
together  to  emasculate  the  Church,  if  it  was  to  be 
suffered  to  be  jeered  at  by  pamphleteers. 

Thus  passed  week  after  week.  Christmas  drew  nigh. 
The  bishops  proposed,  during  the  recess,  to  have  a 
committee  to  sit  and  prepare  business.  The  Lower 
House  rejected  the  proposal ;  and  it  became  plain  to  every 


2i8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

one  that  it  was  determined  not  to  consider  one  of  the 
suggested  concessions  to  Protestant  prejudice. 

Moreover,  it  soon  became  evident  that  the  Dissenters 
themselves  did  not  desire  Comprehension.  Their  min- 
isters were  petted  and  made  much  of  by  the  well-to-do 
yeomen  and  the  rich  merchants  in  country  and  town. 
They  lived  on  the  fat  of  the  land,  snapped  up  wealthy 
widows  and  bought  broad  acres.  Whereas  the  needy 
country  parson  was  hard  pressed  to  wring  the  tithes  from 
his  parishioners.  While  the  walls  of  exclusion  of  Jericho 
stood,  the  rams'  horns  brayed  against  them  daily,  and 
seven  times  on  the  Sabbath  ;  but  so  soon  as  the  walls 
were  prostrate,  and  every  man  could  go  up  into  the 
city  and  take  up  his  quarters  there  where  he  liked,  the 
rams'  horns  would  have  to  be  laid  aside  as  superfluous 
lumber. 

The  King  was  disappointed  and  offended.  What  he 
did  was  to  prorogue  Convocation  for  six  weeks,  and 
when  those  six  weeks  had  expired,  to  prorogue  it  again, 
and  many  years  elapsed  before  it  was  again  suffered 
to  assemble. 

That  Convocation  of  1689  saved  the  Church  of 
England  from  dissolution  into  a  formless,  gelatinous, 
and  invertebrate  mass. 

Burnet  himself,  though  disappointed  at  the  time,  felt 
afterwards  that  the  determination  of  the  Lower  House 
had  saved  the  Church  at  a  time  of  crisis.  ''There  was," 
he  says,  "a  very  happy  direction  of  the  providence  of 
God  observed  in  this  matter.  The  Jacobite  clergy  who 
were  then  under  suspension  were  designing  to  make  a 
schism  in  the  Church,  whensoever  they  should  be  turned 
out  and  their  places  should  be  filled  up  by  others. 
They  saw  it  would  not  be  easy  to  make  a  separation 
upon  a  private  and  personal  account ;  they  therefore 
wished  to  be  furnished  with  more  specious  pretences,  and 


THE   JANES  219 

if  we  had  made  alterations  in  the  Rubrics  and  other  parts 
of  the  Common  Prayer,  they  would  have  pretended  that 
they  still  stuck  to  the  ancient  Church  of  England,  in 
opposition  to  those  who  were  altering  it  and  setting  up 
new  models.  And,  as  I  do  firmly  believe  that  there  is  a 
wise  providence  that  watches  upon  human  affairs,  and 
directs  them — so  I  have  observed  this  in  many  instances 
relating  to  the  Revolution  .  .  .  by  all  the  judgments  we 
could  afterwards  make,  if  we  had  carried  a  majority  in 
the  Convocation  for  alterations,  they  would  have  done  us 
more  hurt  than  good." 

Burnet  was  morally  and  intellectually  incapable  of 
seeing  that  it  was  a  case  of  conscience,  of  stantis  vel 
cadentis  ecclesice,  and  he  attributed  the  motives  of  the 
recalcitrant  clergy  to  political  prejudice. 

On  Jane's  return  to  Oxford,  he  found  another  oppor- 
tunity of  defending  the  Church,  by  framing  the  decree 
of  1690,  which  condemned  the  ''Naked  Gospel"  of 
Arthur  Burge. 

Jane  had  no  hopes  whatever  of  preferment  from 
William,  if  he  cared  for  it.  In  1696  it  was  even 
rumoured  that  the  King  meditated  turning  him  out  of 
his  professorship,  because  he  had  not  signed  the  **  Asso- 
ciation for  King  William."  But  on  Anne's  accession, 
all  his  fears  were  at  an  end.  It  would  appear  from  a 
letter  of  Atterbury  that  at  Oxford  the  University  desired 
to  get  rid  of  him,  because  he  neglected  giving  lectures 
on  Divinity,  and  left  the  work  to  be  discharged  by  a 
subordinate  named  Smallridge. 

In  1703  Bishop  Trelawny  appointed  him  to  the 
Chancellorship  of  Exeter  Cathedral,  which  he  ex- 
changed for  the  precentorship  in  1704,  but  he  retained 
his  Regius  professorship  to  the  end.  Undoubtedly  it 
was  a  great  pleasure  to  him  in  the  decline  of  his  life  to 
be  back  in  the  West  Country. 


220  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

He  resigned  the  precentorship  of  Exeter  in  1706,  and 
died  on  the  23rd  February,  1707,  at  Oxford,  and  was 
buried  in  Christ  Church. 

The  writer  of  his  life  in  the  Dictionary  of  National 
Biography  sums  up  his  career  with  these  words:  "Jane 
was  a  clerical  politician  of  a  low  type  ;  Calamy  says 
of  him,  '  Though  fond  of  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  Church,  he  was  a  Calvinist  in  the  respect  of 
doctrine,'  and  the  pleasantest  thing  recorded  of  him  is 
his  kindness  shown  at  Oxford  to  the  ejected  Presby- 
terian, Thomas  Gilbert." 

Calamy,  as  a  Dissenter,  was  prejudiced  against 
Jane  ;  and  I  do  not  see  that  he  was  of  a  low  type  of 
polemical  cleric — because  when  he  saw  that  the  theory 
of  government  he  had  embraced  would  not  bear  the 
test  of  experience,  he  had  the  courage  to  reject  it. 
Every  man  is  liable  to  make  mistakes  ;  it  is  only  the 
brave  man  who  can  acknowledge  that  he  has  been 
mistaken. 

Nor  was  Jane  alone,  Compton,  Bishop  of  London, 
and  several  other  bishops,  had  appealed  to  William  of 
Orange  to  come  over  and  help  the  people  and  the 
Church  of  England  to  be  free  from  a  tyrannous  and 
subversive  despotism.  The  Earl  of  Danby,  under 
whose  administration,  and  with  his  sanction,  a  law  had 
been  proposed,  which,  if  it  had  passed,  would  have 
excluded  from  Parliament  and  office  all  who  refused  to 
declare  on  oath  that  they  thought  resistance  to  the 
King  in  every  case  unlawful — he  had  seen  the  mis- 
take as  well,  and  had  invited  William  over. 

As  Macaulay  says:  ''This  theory  (of  passive 
obedience)  at  first  presented  itself  to  the  Cavalier  as 
the  very  opposite  of  slavish.  Its  tendency  was  to  make 
him  not  a  slave,  but  a  free  man  and  a  master.  It 
exalted  him  by  exalting  one  whom  he  regarded  as  his 


THE   JANES  221 

protector,  as  his  friend,  as  the  head  of  his  beloved  party, 
and  of  his  more  beloved  Church.  When  Republicans 
were  dominant  the  Royalist  had  endured  wrongs 
and  insults  which  the  restoration  of  the  legitimate 
government  had  enabled  him  to  retaliate.  Rebellion 
was  therefore  associated  in  his  imagination  with  sub- 
jection and  degradation,  and  monarchical  authority 
with  liberty  and  ascendancy.  It  had  never  crossed  his 
imagination  that  a  time  might  come  when  a  King,  a 
Stuart,  could  prosecute  the  most  loyal  of  the  clergy  and 
gentry  with  more  than  the  animosity  of  the  Rump  or 
the  Protector.  That  time  had  however  arrived.  Op- 
pression speedily  did  what  philosophy  and  eloquence 
would  have  failed  to  do.  The  system  of  Filmer  might 
have  survived  the  attacks  of  Locke  ;  but  it  never  re- 
covered from  the  death-blow  given  by  James." 

Jane  changed  his  opinion  indeed,  but  so  did  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  Tory  party  and  of  the  clergy  of  the 
Church. 


THE  PENNINGTONS 

^  BOUT  seven  years  ago  I  attended  the  baptism 
/%  of  some  bells  for  a  new  church  at  Chateaulin, 
/ — ^  in  Brittany.  The  ceremony  was  quaint, 
JL  JL.  archaic,  and  grotesque.  The  bells  were 
suspended  in  the  chancel  ''all  of  a  row,"  dressed  in 
white  frocks  with  pink  sashes  round  their  waists.  To 
each  was  given  god-parents  who  had  to  answer  for 
them,  and  each  was  actually  baptized,  after  which  each 
was  made  to  speak  for  itself.  The  ceremony  evidently 
dates  from  a  period  when  the  bell  was  regarded  as 
anything  but  an  inanimate  object — it  had  its  respon- 
sibilities, it  did  its  duties,  it  spoke  in  sonorous  tones. 
The  very  inscriptions  on  them  to  the  present  day 
prescribe  something  of  this  character — invest  each  bell 
with  a  personality,  as  these  : — 


Also  :— 


I  sweetly  tolling  men  do  call 

To  taste  of  meats  to  feed  the  soul. 

I  sound  to  bid  the  sick  repent, 

In  hope  of  life  when  breath  is  spent. 


As  late  as  last  century  we  find  these  : — 

Both  day  and  night  I  measure  time  for  all, 
To  mirth  and  grief,  to  church  I  call. 

And  this  in  1864: — 

I  toll  the  funeral  knell, 

I  ring  the  festal  day, 
I  mark  the  fleeting  hours. 

And  chime  the  church  to  pray. 
222 


THE    PENNINGTONS  223 

In  the  Western  Counties  bell-ringing  was  a  favourite 
and  delightful  pastime.  Parties  of  ringers  went  about 
from  parish  to  parish  and  rang  on  the  church  bells, 
very  generally  for  a  prize — ''a  hat  laced  with  gold." 
At  Launcells,  where  the  bells  are  of  superior  sweetness, 
the  ringers  who  rang  for  the  accession  of  George  III 
rang  for  that  of  George  IV,  there  not  having  been  a 
gap  caused  by  death  among  them  in  sixty  years.  No 
songs  are  so  popular  and  well  remembered  at  bell- 
ringers'  feasts  as  those  that  record  the  achievements  of 
some  who  went  before  them  in  the  same  office.  I  give 
one  that  has  never  before  been  printed,  that  can  be 
traced  back  to  1810,  but  is  certainly  older.  It  relates  to 
the  ringers  of  Egloshayle. 

1.  Come  all  you  ringers  good  and  grave, 

Come  listen  to  my  peal, 
I'll  tell  you  of  five  ringers  brave 

That  lived  in  Egloshayle. 
They  bear  the  sway  in  ring  array. 

Where'er  they  chance  to  go  ; 
Good  music  of  melodious  bells, 

'Tis  their  delight  to  show. 

2.  The  foreman  gives  the  sigan-al, 

He  steps  long  with  the  toe, 
He  casts  his  eyes  about  them  all. 

And  gives  the  sign  to  go. 
Away  they  pull,  with  courage  full, 

The  heart  it  do  revive, 
To  hear  them  swing,  and  music  ring. 

One,  two,  three,  four,  and  five, 

3.  There's  Craddock  the  cordwainer  first, 

That  rings  the  treble  bell ; 
The  second  is  John  Ellery, 

And  none  may  him  excel ; 
The  third  is  Pollard,  carpenter ; 

The  fourth  is  Thomas  Cleave  ; 
Goodfellow  is  the  tenor  man, 

That  rings  them  round  so  brave. 


224  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

4.    They  went  up  to  Lanlivery, 

They  broug-ht  away  the  prize  ; 
And  then  they  went  to  San-Tudy, 

And  there  they  did  likewise. 
There's  Stratton  men,  S.  Mabyn  men, 

S.  Issey  and  S.  Kew, 
But  we  five  lads  of  Egloshayle 

Can  all  the  rest  outdo. 


5.    Now,  to  conclude  my  merry  task, 

I'  th'  Sovereign's  health  we  join  ; 
Stand  every  man  and  pass  the  flask. 

And  drink  his  health  in  wine. 
And  here's  to  Craddock,  EUery, 

And  here's  to  Thomas  Cleave, 
To  Pollard  and  the  tenor  man 

That  rings  them  round  so  brave. 

Humphry  Craddock  died   in    1839;  John  Ellery  in 

1845,  aged  85  years;  John  Pollard  in  1825,  aged  71  ; 
Thomas  Cleave  in  1821,  aged  78;  John  Goodfellow  in 

1846,  aged  80. 

But  for  bell-ringers  there  must  be  bells  ;  and  who  cast 
those  that  have  been  in  past  years  and  are  still  pealed  so 
merrily?  A  great  many  were  cast  by  the  Penningtons 
of  Lezant,  and  latterly  at  Stoke  Climsland.  The  Pen- 
ningtons were  an  ancient  family  in  Bodmin,  resident 
there  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  Perhaps  because 
not  being  landed  gentry,  perhaps  because  they  could 
not  establish  the  right,  they  did  not  record  their  arms 
or  give  their  pedigree  in  the  Heralds'  Visitations.  But 
the  coat  they  bore  or  assumed  was  a  goodly  one  and 
simple,  and  therefore  ancient — or,  in  fesse  five  lozenges 
azure.  Robert  Pennington,  of  Bodmin,  had  two  sons — 
John,  baptized  in  1595,  and  Bernard  two  years  later. 
John  married  at  Bodmin,  and  had  seven  sons  baptized 
there,  one  of  whom  was  probably  the  progenitor  of  the 
Penningtons  of  Lezant  and  Stoke  Climsland.  The  pedi- 
gree of  the  Exeter  bell-founders  of  the  family  has  not 


THE    PENNINGTONS  225 

been  made  out ;  but  that  they  belonged  to  the  stock 
that  sprang  up  at  Bodmin  cannot  be  doubted. 

Bernard  Pennington,  baptized  in  1605,  was  Mayor  of 
Bodmin  in  1666,  and  was  a  bell-founder.  He  died  in 
1674.  His  son  Christopher  Pennington,  baptized  1631, 
was  also  a  bell-founder.  He  died  in  1696.  Christo- 
pher's son  of  the  same  name  was  Mayor  of  Bodmin- in 
1726,  1727,  and  1733.  He  died  in  1749.  The  Pen- 
ningtons  seem  to  have  abandoned  the  bell-casting  busi- 
ness at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  ;  but, 
as  Sir  William  Maclean  says,  *' between  1702  and 
1818  these  popular  founders  cast  nearly  five  hundred 
bells  in  the  county  of  Devon,  and,  it  is  believed,  as 
many  in  Cornwall. "^ 

There  are  sixty-six  in  Devon  cast  by  John  Penning- 
ton, of  Exeter.  The  earliest  that  is  dated  is  at  Payhem- 
bury,  1635,  and  the  latest  1690  at  Kentisbeare.  In 
1669  T.  P.  and  I.  P.  appear  together  on  a  bell  at 
Merton,  as  if  they  were  partners  ;  and  ninety-five  bear 
the  trade-mark  of  Thomas  and  John  Pennington — large 
Roman  initials  with  a  bell  in  outline  between.  The 
earliest  is  found  at  Eggesford,  1618.  Sometimes  they 
impressed  the  coin  then  current.  At  Ottery  S.  Mary, 
167 1,  and  at  S.  Martin's,  Exeter,  1675,  they  used  a 
satirical  medal  representing  a  pope  and  a  king  under 
one  face,  another  representing  a  cardinal  and  a  bishop. 

Besides  two  generations  of  Penningtons  in  Exeter, 
there  was,  as  already  stated,  Christopher  Pennington, 
who  cast  a  bell  at  Stowford  dated  17 10,  and  one  at 
Philleigh,  in  Roseland,  with  C.  P.  and  the  skeleton  of 
a  bell  between,  as  did  the  other  Pennington.  But  his 
earliest  known  is  at  Fremington,  1702.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  FitzAnthony  Pennington,  of  Lezant,  who 
in  1768,  whilst  crossing  the  Tamar  in  the  Antony  ferry 

^  Deanery  of  Trigg  Minor^  I,  p.  301. 
Q 


226  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

with  a  bell  he  had  cast  to  be  set  up  at  Landulph,  was 
drowned.  He  is  buried  in  the  tower  of  Landulph,  and 
on  a  mural  tablet,  beside  his  age,  which  was  thirty- 
eight,  and  the  date  of  his  death,  April  30th,  1768,  are 
these  lines  : — 

Tho"  boisterous  winds  and  billows  sore 

Hath  toss'd  me  to  and  fro, 
By  God's  decree,  in  spite  of  both, 

I  rest  now  here  below. 

After  his  death  we  have  the  initials  of  the  three 
brothers,  John,  Christopher,  and  William.  From  their 
head-quarters,  first  at  Lezant  and  then  at  Stoke  Clims- 
land,  they  itinerated  through  Cornwall  and  Devon, 
casting  bells  wherever  they  could  find  deep  clay,  and 
sufficient  bell-metal  was  provided  by  the  parish  that 
desired  to  have  a  bell  in  its  tower,  and  generally  the 
bell  was  cast  near  the  church  for  which  it  was  intended.^ 

There  are  as  many  as  480  bells  by  this  Cornish 
family  from  1710-1818;  their  latest  are  at  Bridgerule 
and  Bovey  Tracey,  at  this  last  date. 

William  Pennington,  son  of  the  second  Christopher, 
entered  Holy  Orders  and  became  vicar  of  Davidstowe. 
His  progenitors  had  furnished  the  voices  calling  to 
church  from  the  village  towers,  and  now  this  member 
sounded  within  the  church  also  calling  to  prayer  and 
praise.  His  son,  William  Pennington,  purchased  the 
site  of  the  Priory,  Bodmin,  in  1788,  having  rebuilt  the 
house  some  twenty  years  previously  under  a  lease. 
He  was  mayor  of  Bodmin  1764,  1774,  1787,  and  died 
without  issue  in  1789,  bequeathing  his  possessions  to 
his  niece  Nancy  Hosken,  daughter  of  his  sister 
Susanna,   who   had   married   Anthony   Hosken,   vicar 

^  At  S.  Breward  the  bells  were  cast  in  a  small  garden  outside  the 
churchyard  fence,  since  called  "  Bell  garden." 


THE    PENNINGTONS  227 

of  Bodmin  and  rector  of  Lesneuth.  Nancy  married 
Walter  Raleigh  Gilbert,  one  of  the  gentlemen  of  the 
bedchamber,  and  descended  from  the  ancient  Devon- 
shire family  of  Compton  Castle.  As  Mr.  Gilbert  died 
without  issue,  the  Priory  passed  to  his  brother,  and, 
consequently,  wholly  away  from  the  Penningtons. 


DOCTOR    GLYNN-CLOBERY 


r  j  1 

1 


"^HIS  amiable  and  good  man  was  born  at 
Helland,  5th  August,  1719,  and  was  the  son 
of  Robert  Glynn,  by  Lucy,  fourth  daughter 
of  John  Clobery,  of  Bradstone,  in  Devon. 
A  singular  fatality  attended  this  ancient  family,  that 
possessed  a  very  interesting  Elizabethan  mansion.  John 
Clobery  had  eight  daughters  and  only  one  son  and 
heir,  and  that  son  died  without  issue,  and  only  three 
of  the  daughters  married.  Lucy  had  but  the  one  son, 
Robert  Glynn,  and  the  fifth  daughter,  Mary,  also  only 
a  son  ;  and  as  these  sons  died  unmarried,  the  estate 
passed  to  remote  connections. 

Robert  Glynn  assumed  his  mother's  name  and  suc- 
ceeded to  the  estates  on  the  death  of  his  uncle,  William 
Clobery.  Robert  Glynn  was  an  M.D.  and  a  Fellow  of 
King's  College,  Cambridge,  where  he  resided.  He 
was  a  simple-minded  man,  and  was  completely  taken 
in  by  the  Chatterton  forgeries,  and  for  some  time 
strenuously  defended  them.  On  which  account  Horace 
Walpole  speaks  of  him  with  great  contempt  as  "an 
old  doting  physician  and  Chattertonian  at  Cambridge." 
'*I  neither  answer  Dr.  Glynn,  nor  a  poissarde. 
Twenty  years  ago  I  might  have  laughed  at  both,  but 
they  are  too  small  fry,  and  I  am  too  old  to  take  notice 
of  them.  Besides,  when  leviathans  and  crocodiles  and 
alligators  tempest  and  infest  the  ocean,  I  shall  not 
go  a-privateering  in  a  cockboat  against  a  smuggling 
pinnace."     That  was  in  August,  1792. 

228 


DOCTOR   GLYNN-CLOBERY  229 

Dr.  Glynn  was  very  fond  of  seeing  young  gownsmen 
at  his  rooms,  and  had  tea  for  them  and  conversed  with 
them  ;  but  he  never  drank  tea  himself.  C.  Carlyon 
says:  "  His  custom  was  to  walk  about  the  room  and 
talk  most  agreeably  upon  such  topics  as  he  thought 
likely  to  interest  his  company,  which  did  not  often 
consist  of  more  than  two  or  three  persons.  As  soon  as 
the  tea-table  was  set  in  order,  and  the  boiling  water 
ready  for  making  the  infusion,  the  fragrant  herb  was 
taken,  not  from  an  ordinary  tea-caddy,  but  from  a 
packet,  consisting  of  several  envelopes  curiously  put 
together,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  the  tea.  Of  this 
he  used,  at  first,  as  much  as  would  make  a  good  cup 
for  each  of  the  party  ;  and,  to  meet  fresh  demands,  I 
observed  that  he  invariably  put  an  additional  tea- 
spoonful  in  the  teapot;  the  excellence  of  the  beverage, 
thus  prepared,  ensuring  him  custom.  He  had  likewise 
a  superior  knack  of  supplying  each  cup  with  sugar  from 
a  considerable  distance,  by  a  jerk  of  the  hand  which 
discharged  it  from  the  sugar-tongs  into  the  cup  with 
unerring  certainty,  as  he  continued  his  walk  around  the 
table,  scarcely  seeming  to  stop  whilst  he  performed 
these  and  other  requisite  evolutions  of  the  entertain- 
ment." 

Dr.  Glynn  or  Clobery  would  only  eat  when  his  appe- 
tite summoned  him  imperiously  for  a  meal.  A  faithful 
old  servant  was  in  constant  attendance  upon  him,  and, 
whenever  his  master  called  out  for  food,  he  was  prepared 
to  set  before  him  some  plain  dish  and  a  pewter  of  porter. 

Nothing  would  induce  the  doctor  to  believe  that  gout 
was  hereditary.  He  once  took  occasion  to  mark  this 
with  peculiar  emphasis,  when  a  writer  signing  himself 
W.  A.  A.  consulted  him  in  his  first  attack,  then  in 
his  nineteenth  year.  He  observed,  "My  young 
friend,  you  call  this  gout !  Pooh,  pooh !     You  have  not 


230  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

yet  earned  the  costly  privilege  ;  you  must  drink  your 
double  hogshead  first." 

"But  my  father,  sir;  it  is  in  my  blood  by  right  of 
inheritance." 

His  reply  was,  "You  talk  nonsense.  You  may  as 
well  tell  me  you  have  a  broken  leg  in  your  veins  by  in- 
heritance." 

One  Sunday  morning  he  met  an  undergraduate  of 
his  acquaintance  on  his  way  to  S.  Mary's  Church,  and 
said  to  him — 

"  Well,  my  master,  and  whither  are  you  going?" 

"  I  am  going  to  S.  Mary's,"  replied  the  young 
gownsman. 

"  And  who  is  the  preacher  to-day?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

"Not  know  who  is  the  preacher?  Then,  upon  my 
word,  you  have  no  small  merit  in  taking  pot-luck  at 
S.  Mary's." 

During  a  long  illness  the  good  old  doctor  attended 
a  poor  man,  of  whose  family  party  a  pert,  talkative 
magpie  made  one  ;  and  as  the  patient  observed  that 
Dr.  Glynn  always,  when  paying  a  visit,  had  some  joke 
with  the  bird,  he  thought  that  perhaps  the  doctor  might 
like  to  possess  it.  Accordingly,  when  the  poor  man 
was  well  again,  with  overflowing  gratitude,  but  with  no 
money  to  pay  a  bill,  he  thought  he  could  do  no  better 
than  make  his  kind  friend  a  present  of  the  magpie ; 
and  sure  enough  the  prisoner  in  its  cage  was  conveyed 
to  his  rooms  in  King's  College.  There  the  bearer  met 
with  a  very  kind  reception,  but  was  desired  to  carry 
back  the  bird  with  him.  "  I  cannot,"  said  the  doctor, 
"take  so  good  care  of  it  as  can  you  ;  but  I  shall  con- 
sider it  mine,  and  I  entrust  it  to  you  to  keep  for  me  ; 
and,  as  long  as  it  lives,  I  will  pay  you  half-a-crown 
weekly  for  its  maintenance." 


DOCTOR   GLYNN-CLOBERY  231 

The  anecdote  was  turned  into  verse  by  Mr.  Plumtre, 
and  is  given  in  Gunning's  Reininiscences  of  Cambridge. 
When  Dr.  Glynn  assumed  the  name  of  Clobery  he 
assumed  also  the  Clobery  arms — three  bats ;  and  no 
animal  could  better  symbolize  the  man,  with  his  curious 
blindness  to  what  was  obvious  to  most — that  the  Chat- 
terton  papers  were  forgeries.  He  went  down  to  Bristol 
on  purpose  to  examine  the  chest  with  its  MS.  contents. 
The  fact  that  in  one  of  them  the  invention  of  heraldry 
was  ascribed  to  Hengest,  and  that  of  painted  glass  to 
an  unknown  monk  in  the  reign  of  King  Edmund,  did 
not  disturb  his  faith.  He  entered  into  vehement  con- 
troversy with  George  Steevens,  |in  his  endeavour  to 
establish  their  genuineness.  He  waxed  hot  over  it,  and 
it  took  a  good  deal  to  put  Glynn-Clobery  out  of  his 
usual  placidity  and  coolness. 

He  set  up  to  be  a  poet.  His  Seatonian  prize  poem 
on  the  *'  Day  of  Judgment"  was  thought  much  of  at  the 
time.  Previously  Christopher  Smart  had  won  the 
prize  over  and  over  again.  Glynn  wrested  the  laurels 
from  him.  This  is  not  saying  much;  his  poem  was 
not  much  better,  and  not  at  all  worse,  than  the  general 
run  of  these  prize  poems.  But  it  had  the  advantage 
of  pleasing,  and  has  been  repeatedly  republished,  and 
has  even  obtained  for  the  old  doctor  a  niche  in  the 
temple  of  Poesy — a  notice  in  a  Biographical  Dictionary 
of  Poets. 

He  died  at  Cambridge  on  February  8th,  1800,  and 
at  his  own  desire  was  buried  at  midnight  in  King's 
College  Chapel. 


THREE    MEN    OF    MOUSEHOLE 

IN  the  year  1849,  Captain  Allen  Gardiner,  an 
intrepid  sailor  and  a  religious  enthusiast,  formed 
the  plan  of  converting  the  natives  of  Terra  del 
Fuego  and  of  Patagonia.  He  knew  nothing  of 
their  language  or  habits,  nothing  indeed  of  their  land. 
He  was,  however,  possessed  with  the  idea  that  he  was 
called  to  be  an  apostle  of  those  bleak  and  fog-wrapped 
regions.  Of  all  inhabited  spots  on  the  earth,  the  Terra 
del  Fuego  is  the  most  miserable.  Cold,  whirlwinds 
and  tempests  of  snow  and  hail,  frozen  fogs  with  but 
rare  glimpses  of  sunshine,  form  its  climate  ;  and  the 
natives  are  utterly  barbarous,  apparently  the  refugees 
from  the  Continent,  driven  out  of  the  somewhat  less 
desolate  peninsula  of  Patagonia  by  the  giants  that  now 
possess  it,  and  in  their  misery  sinking  to  the  lowest 
depths  to  which  man  can  descend. 

During  a  year  or  more  Captain  Gardiner's  efforts  to 
rouse  interest  in  his  scheme,  sufficient  interest  to  make 
the  money  flow,  had  met  with  no  success.  He  applied 
to  the  Moravian  Brethren  to  take  up  the  mission  ;  they 
declined.  Then  he  placed  the  matter  before  the  Scottish 
Establishment,  but  the  canny  Scotchmen  would  nae 
think  ov  it.  At  last  a  lady  at  Cheltenham  furnished 
him  with  iJ^yoo,  and  this,  with  ;6^300  from  his  own 
private  purse,  formed  all  the  resources  on  which  he 
acted.  As  he  could  not  afford  to  charter  a  schooner, 
he  had  four  open  boats  built  for  him  at  Liverpool. 
Two  of  these  were   launches  of  considerable  size,   to 

232 


ROTHY  PENTREATH  of  MOUSEHOLE  in  CORNWALL 


THREE    MEN   OF    MOUSEHOLE  233 

which  he  gave  the  names  of  the  Speedwell  and  the 
Pioneer ;  the  other  two  were  small  dinghies,  to  be  used 
as  tenders  or  luggage  boats. 

Captain  Gardiner  now  looked  about  him  for  enthu- 
siasts like  himself  to  share  the  perils  and  the  possible 
glories  of  spreading  the  gospel  over  Terra  del  Fuego, 
in  which  not  a  cross  had  been  planted  nor  the  Word 
of  God  proclaimed. 

He  secured  the  services  of  a  surgeon,  a  missionary, 
and  from  Mousehole,  near  Penzance,  drew  three  sturdy 
Cornish  sailors,  or  fishermen  —  John  Pearce,  John 
Badcock,  and  John  Davy  Bryant  —  who  little  knew 
what  risks  they  ran. 

The  party  left  England  on  September  27th,  1850, 
in  the  ship  Ocean  Queen,  bound  from  Liverpool  to 
California,  taking  with  them  their  boats  and  six 
months'  provisions.  They  were  landed  on  the  in- 
hospitable foreign  shore  on  the  5th  December. 

Pinkerton,  in  his  Modern  GeograpJiy,  thus  graphi- 
cally describes  the  scene  of  their  projected  labours  : — 

"A  broken  series  of  wintry  islands,  called  Terra  del 
Fuego,  from  two  or  more  volcanoes  which  vomit 
flames  amidst  the  dreary  wastes  of  ice.  Terra  del  Fuego 
is  divided  by  narrow  straits  into  eleven  islands  of  con- 
siderable size.  In  their  zeal  for  Natural  History,  Sir 
Joseph  Banks  and  Doctor  Solander  had  nearly  perished 
amid  the  snows  of  this  horrible  land;  but  they  found 
a  considerable  variety  of  plants.  The  natives  are  of 
a  middle  stature,  with  broad  flat  faces,  high  cheeks, 
and  flat  noses,  and  they  are  clothed  in  the  skins  of 
seals.  The  villages  consist  of  miserable  huts  in  the 
form  of  a  sugar  loaf,  and  the  only  food  seems  to  be 
shell-fish." 

The  lack  of  common  prudence,  of  common  sense, 
exhibited   by  Captain   Gardiner  is  astounding.     Here 


234  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

was  he,  with  a  party  whom  he  had  beguiled  to  attend 
him,  dropped  in  this  barren  country  wrapped  in  snow 
and  fog,  without  an  interpreter,  and  consequently  with- 
out the  means  of  communication  with  the  inhabitants 
should  they  come  across  them.  From  the  moment  that 
the  sails  of  the  Ocean  Queen  disappeared  behind  the 
rocks  on  her  way  to  double  Cape  Horn,  the  eye  of  no 
civilized  man  ever  saw  these  brave  sailors  and  mis- 
sionaries alive.  All  that  is  known  of  them  has  been 
gathered  from  the  papers  subsequently  found. 

Seven  men  in  all,  with  four  open  boats,  were  left  on 
the  most  inhospitable  coast  that  could  be  found,  where 
there  is  little  food  to  be  got,  where  vegetation  is  scarce. 
Their  resolution  was  heroic,  but  the  whole  enterprise 
was  madness. 

They  soon  found  that  the  Pioneer  leaked.  In  several 
short  voyages  from  island  to  island  and  from  shore  to 
shore  they  encountered  numberless  mishaps.  The 
natives  were  by  no  means  friendly,  and  as  they  ap- 
proached their  villages,  brandished  their  weapons  and 
drove  them  away.  At  other  times  the  Fuegians  simu- 
lated friendship,  so  as  to  get  at  the  stores  and  plunder 
them.  During  a  storm  both  of  the  dinghies  were  lost 
with  all  their  contents,  on  which  they  relied  for  support 
for  six  months.  Next  they  found  that  they  had  no 
gunpowder  ;  it  had  been  left  inadvertently  in  the  Ocean 
Queen,  so  that  they  had  no  means  of  shooting  birds  or 
other  animals.  Then  their  anchors  and  spare  timber 
were  carried  away.  As  far  as  we  can  judge,  they  seem 
to  have  been  curiously  helpless  persons.  With  clubs 
they  might  have  killed  the  sea-elephants,  whose  flesh 
would  have  sustained  them  and  their  skins  clothed 
them. 

Thus  wore  away  the  month  of  January,  1851,  and 
not  the  first  step  had  been  taken  towards  acquiring  the 


THREE    MEN    OF    MOUSEHOLE  235 

confidence  of  the  natives.  All  the  time  had  been  spent 
in  a  struggle  for  the  maintenance  of  their  own  lives. 
On  February  ist  the  Pioneer  v^z.^  shattered  in  a  storm, 
and  now  they  had  only  the  Speedwell  to  voyage  in, 
a  vessel  whose  name  mocked  their  misery. 

They  all  saw  now,  even  the  enthusiast  Gardiner,  that 
they  had  embarked  on  an  impossible  task,  and  without 
further  thought  of  spreading  a  knowledge  of  Chris- 
tianity among  the  dirty,  treacherous,  flat-nosed  and 
stupid  natives,  their  only  consideration  was  how  they 
might  get  away. 

Arrangements  had  been  made  before  starting  for 
sending  out  to  them  fresh  supplies,  but  by  various  un- 
fortunate mischances  this  had  not  been  done.  They 
turned  their  eyes  vainly  eastward  ;  not  a  sail  was  seen 
to  raise  their  hopes. 

Some  of  the  men  became  ill  with  scurvy,  and  the 
boats  were  used  as  hospitals,  the  men  that  were  sound 
retiring  to  caverns.  A  few  fish  and  fowl  were  caught, 
and  eggs  were  procured.  So  March  and  April  dragged 
along  ;  and  then  the  Antarctic  winter  began,  adding 
snow  and  ice  to  their  other  troubles.  What  herbs  to 
gather,  how  the  natives  protected  themselves  against 
scurvy,  does  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to  these  un- 
fortunates. They  sat  and  shivered  and  lamented  their 
fate  and  lost  all  hope.  From  the  middle  of  May  they 
were  all  put  on  short  allowance,  owing  to  the  rapid  dis- 
appearance of  the  supply  of  food  they  had  brought 
ashore.  At  the  end  of  June,  Badcock,  one  of  the 
Mousehole  men,  died,  worn  out  with  scurvy.  There 
is  an  entry  in  Gardiner's  diary,  about  the  end  of  June, 
enumerating  the  provisions  still  left,  and  among  them 
were  ''six  mice,"  concerning  which  he  wrote  :  "The 
mention  of  this  last  item  in  our  list  of  provisions  may 
startle  some  of  our  friends  should  it  ever  reach  their 


236  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ears  ;  but  circumstanced  as  we  are,  we  partake  of  them 
with  a  relish  ;  they  are  very  tender,  and  taste  like 
rabbit."  A  solitary  penguin,  a  dead  fox,  a  half- 
devoured  fish  thrown  up  on  the  shore — all  were  wel- 
comed by  the  half-starved  men.  When  August  came, 
the  strength  of  the  entire  party  was  well-nigh  at  an  end. 
A  few  garden-seeds  were  made  into  a  soup,  and  mussel- 
broth  was  served  out  to  the  invalids.  Captain  Gardiner 
himself  lived  on  mussels  for  a  fortnight,  and  then,  as 
this  disagreed  with  him,  was  compelled  to  give  up  the 
diet.  He  would  have  lain  down  and  died  of  starvation 
had  he  not  found  a  vegetable  that  he  could  eat,  and  on 
this  he  rallied  for  a  while. 

On  the  23rd,  Erwin,  a  boatman,  died,  exhausted  by 
hunger  and  disease.  On  the  26th,  Bryant,  the  second 
Mousehole  man,  expired.  Pearce,  the  remaining  boat- 
man, went  nearly  mad  at  the  loss  of  his  companions 
and  the  hopelessness  of  the  outlook.  Mr.  Maidment, 
the  missionary,  had  just  strength  sufficient  to  dig  a 
grave  in  which  to  bury  the  two  poor  fellows.  He  then 
made  a  pair  of  crutches  with  two  sticks,  on  which 
Captain  Gardiner  might  lean  when  walking.  He  lived 
in  the  cavern,  and  tried  to  hobble  down  to  those  who 
were  in  the  Speedwell,  but  his  strength  was  not  equal  to 
the  task,  and  he  had  to  retire  to  his  cave. 

Maidment  was  the  next  to  succumb,  on  September 
2nd.  Pearce,  and  Williams  the  surgeon,  were  in  the 
Speedwell,  and  it  was  as  much  as  they  could  do  to 
obtain  a  few  shell-fish  for  themselves  ;  but  they  soon 
lay  down  and  died.  When  Gardiner  also  yielded  up 
the  ghost  is  not  known,  but  he  had  strength  to  make 
an  entry  in  his  diary  on  the  6th  ;  there  is  none  on 
the  7th. 

On  the  2ist  January,  1852,  H.M.S.  Dido  arrived  at 
Terra  del   Fuego  and  found  the  remains  of  this  un- 


THREE    MEN   OF   MOUSEHOLE  237 

happy  party  of  religious  enthusiasts.  The  first  thing 
seen  was  a  direction  scrawled  on  a  rock  ;  then  a  boat 
lying  on  the  beach  of  a  small  river  ;  then  the  unburied 
bodies  of  Captain  Gardiner  and  the  missionary  Maid- 
ment ;  then  a  packet  of  papers  and  books  ;  then  the 
scattered  remains  of  another  boat,  with  part  of  her  gear 
and  various  articles  of  clothing  ;  then  two  more 
corpses ;  and  lastly  the  graves  of  the  rest  of  the 
party. 

"Their  remains,"  wrote  Captain  Morshead,  of  the 
Dido,  ''were  collected  together  and  buried  close  to 
the  spot,  and  the  funeral  service  read  by  Lieutenant 
Underwood.  A  short  inscription  was  placed  on  the 
rock  near  his  own  text ;  the  colours  of  the  boats  and 
ships  were  struck  half-mast,  and  three  volleys  of 
musketry  were  the  only  tribute  of  respect  I  could 
pay  to  the  lofty-minded  man  and  his  devoted 
companions." 


DOLLY    PENTREATH 

MUCH  has  been  written  about  Dolly 
Pentreath,  but  little  is  known  of  her 
uneventful  life.  That  little  may  be 
summed  up  in  few  words. 

Her  maiden  name  was  Jeffery,  and  when  she  was 
a  child  her  parents  and  all  about  her  spoke  the  Cornish 
language.  Drew,  in  his  History  of  Cornwall,  quoting 
Daines  Barrington,  says  :  "  She  does  indeed  talk 
Cornish  as  readily  as  others  do  English,  being  bred 
up  from  a  child  to  know  no  other  language  ;  nor  could 
she  (if  we  may  believe  her)  talk  a  word  of  English 
before  she  was  past  twenty  years  of  age." 

In  the  year  1768  the  Hon.  Daines  Barrington, 
brother  of  Captain,  afterwards  Admiral,  Barrington, 
went  into  Cornwall  to  ascertain  whether  the  Cornish 
language  had  entirely  ceased  to  be  spoken,  or  not,  and 
in  a  letter  written  to  John  Lloyd,  f.s.a.,  a  few  years 
after,  viz.  on  March  31,  1773,  he  gives  the  following 
as  the  result  of  his  journey  : — 

**  I  set  out  from  Penzance,  with  the  landlord  of  the 
principal  inn  for  my  guide,  towards  Sennen,  or  the 
most  western  point ;  and  when  I  approached  the  village 
I  said  that  there  must  probably  be  some  remains  of  the 
language  in  those  parts  if  anywhere,  as  the  village  was 
in  the  road  to  no  place  whatever,  and  the  only  ale- 
house announced  itself  to  be  the  last  in  England. 

"  My  guide,  however,  told  me  that  I  should  be 
disappointed,  but  that  if  I  would  ride  about  ten  miles 

238 


'r->  ■<' 

o  s 

z  "^ 


o  ^ 

X 


DOLLY    PENTREATH  239 

about  on  my  return  to  Penzance  he  would  conduct  me 
to  a  village  called  Mousehole,  on  the  western  side  of 
Mount's  Bay,  where  there  was  an  old  woman,  called 
Dolly  Pentreath,  who  could  speak  Cornish  fluently. 
While  we  were  travelling  together  towards  Mousehole 
I  inquired  how  he  knew  that  this  woman  spoke  Cornish  ; 
when  he  informed  me  that  he  frequently  went  from 
Penzance  to  Mousehole  to  buy  fish,  which  were  sold 
by  her  ;  and  that  when  he  did  not  offer  her  a  price 
that  was  satisfactory,  she  grumbled  to  some  other 
old  women  in  an  unknown  tongue,  which  he  concluded, 
therefore,  to  be  Cornish. 

"When  we  reached  Mousehole  I  desired  to  be 
introduced  as  a  person  who  had  laid  a  wager  that  there 
was  not  one  who  could  converse  in  Cornish  ;  upon 
which  Dolly  Pentreath  spoke  in  an  angry  tone  for  two 
or  three  minutes,  and  in  a  language  which  sounded 
very  like  Welsh.  The  hut  in  which  she  lived  was  in  a 
very  narrow  lane,  opposite  to  two  rather  better  houses, 
at  the  doors  of  which  two  other  women  stood,  who 
were  advanced  in  years,  and  who  I  observed  were 
laughing  at  what  Dolly  said  to  me. 

"  Upon  this  I  asked  them  whether  she  had  not  been 
abusing  me  ;  to  which  they  answered,  '  Very  heartily,' 
and  because  I  had  supposed  she  could  not  speak 
Cornish. 

"I  then  said  that  they  must  be  able  to  talk  the 
language  ;  to  which  they  answered  that  they  could  not 
speak  it  readily,  but  that  they  understood  it,  being 
only  ten  or  twelve  years  younger  than  Dolly  Pentreath. 

''  I  continued  nine  or  ten  days  in  Cornwall  after  this, 
but  found  that  my  friends  whom  I  had  left  to  the  east- 
ward continued  as  incredulous  almost  as  they  were 
before  about  these  last  remains  of  the  Cornish  lan- 
guage, because,  among  other  reasons,  Dr.  Borlase  had 


240  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

supposed,  in  his  Natural  History  of  the  County^  that  it 
had  entirely  ceased  to  be  spoken.  It  was  also  urged 
that,  as  he  lived  within  four  or  five  miles  of  the  old 
woman  at  Mousehole,  he  consequently  must  have  heard 
of  so  singular  a  thing  as  her  continuing  to  use  the 
vernacular  tongue. 

*'I  had  scarcely  said  or  thought  anything  more 
about  this  matter  till  last  summer  (1772),  having  men- 
tioned it  to  some  Cornish  people,  I  found  that  they 
could  not  credit  that  any  person  had  existed  within 
these  few  years  who  could  speak  their  native  language; 
and  therefore,  though  I  imagined  there  was  but  a 
small  chance  of  Dolly  Pentreath  continuing  to  live, 
yet  I  wrote  to  the  President,  then  in  Devonshire,  to 
desire  that  he  would  make  some  inquiry  with  regard 
to  her ;  and  he  was  so  obliging  as  to  procure  me 
information  from  a  gentleman  whose  house  was  within 
three  miles  of  Mousehole,  a  considerable  part  of  whose 
letter  I  subjoin. 

''  '  Dolly  Pentreath  is  short  of  stature,  and  bends 
very  much  with  old  age,  being  in  her  eighty-seventh 
year,  so  lusty,  however,  as  to  walk  hither  to  Castle 
Horneck,  about  three  miles,  in  bad  weather,  in  the 
morning  and  back  again.  She  is  somewhat  deaf,  but 
her  intellect  seemingly  not  impaired  ;  has  a  memory  so 
good,  that  she  remembers  perfectly  well,  that  about 
four  or  five  years  ago  at  Mousehole,  where  she  lives, 
she  was  sent  for  by  a  gentleman,  who,  being  a  stranger, 
had  a  curiosity  to  hear  the  Cornish  language,  which 
she  was  famed  for  retaining  and  speaking  fluently, 
and  that  the  innkeeper  where  the  gentleman  came  from 
attended  him. 

("This  gentleman,"  says  Daines  Barrington,  "was 
myself;  however,  I  did  not  presume  to  send  for  her, 
but  waited  upon  her.") 


DOLLY    PENTREATH  241 

*''She  does,  indeed,  talk  Cornish  as  readily  as 
others  do  English,  being  bred  up  from  a  child  to  know 
no  other  language  ;  nor  could  she  (if  we  may  believe 
her)  talk  a  word  of  English  before  she  was  past  twenty 
years  of  age,  as,  her  father  being  a  fisherman,  she  was 
sent  with  fish  to  Penzance  at  twelve  years  old,  and  sold 
them  in  the  Cornish  language,  which  the  inhabitants 
in  general,  even  the  gentry,  did  then  well  understand. 
She  is  positive,  however,  that  there  is  neither  in 
Mousehole,  nor  in  any  other  part  of  the  county,  any 
other  person  who  knows  anything  of  it,  or,  at  least, 
can  converse  in  it.  She  is  poor,  and  maintained  partly 
by  the  parish,  and  partly  by  fortune-telling  and 
gabbling  Cornish.' 

"  I  have  thus,"  continued  Mr.  Barrington,  "thought 
it  right  to  lay  before  the  Society  (the  Society  of 
Antiquaries)  this  account  of  the  last  sparks  of  the 
Cornish  tongue,  and  cannot  but  think  that  a  linguist 
who  understands  Welsh  might  still  pick  up  a  more 
complete  vocabulary  of  the  Cornish  than  we  are  yet 
possessed  of,  especially  as  the  two  neighbours  of  this 
old  woman  (Dolly  Pentreath),  whom  I  had  occasion 
to  mention,  are  not  now  above  seventy-seven  or 
seventy-eight  years  of  age,  and  were  healthy  when 
I  saw  them  ;  so  that  the  whole  does  not  depend  on 
the  life  of  this  Cornish  sybil,  as  she  is  willing  to 
insinuate." 

It  is  matter  of  profound  regret  that  no  Welshman 
did  visit  Dolly,  who  lived  for  four  years  after  Mr. 
Harrington's  letter,  which  was  written  in  1773,  for  she 
died  December  26th,  1777. 

Drew  says  :  "  She  was  buried  in  the  churchyard  of 
the  parish  of  Paul,  in  which  parish,  Mousehole,  the 
place  of  her  residence,  is  situated.  Her  epitaph  is  both 
in  Cornish  and  English." 

R 


242  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Coth  Doll  Pentreath  cans  ha  Deau  ; 
Marow  ha  kledyz  ed  Paul  plea  : — 
Na  ed  an  Egloz,  gan  pobel  bras, 
Bes  ed  Egloz-hay  coth  Dolly  es. 

Old  Doll  Pentreath,  one  hundred  aged  and  two, 
Deceased,  and  buried  in  Paul  parish  too  : — 
Not  in  the  Church,  with  people  great  and  high, 
But  in  the  Churchyard  doth  old  Dolly  lie  ! 

This  epitaph,  written  by  Mr.  Tomson,  of  Truro,  was  never 
inscribed  on  her  tombstone,  for  no  tombstone  was  set 
up  to  her  memory  at  the  time  of  her  death.  The  stone 
now  erected,  and  standing  in  the  churchyard  wall  and 
not  near  her  grave,  was  set  up  by  Prince  Louis  Lucien 
Bonaparte  in  i860,  and  contains  two  errors.  It  runs  : 
"Here  lieth  interred  Dorothy  Pentreath,  who  died  in 
1778."  In  the  first  place  she  does  not  lie  where  is 
the  stone,  and  in  the  second  place  she  died  1777,  on 
December  26th,  and  was  buried  on  the  following  day. 

In  1776  Mr.  Harrington  presented  a  letter  to  the 
Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries  written  in  Cornish  and 
in  English,  by  William  Bodener,  a  fisherman  of  Mouse- 
hole.  This  man  asserted  that  at  that  date  there  were 
still  four  or  five  persons  in  Mousehole  who  could  talk 
Cornish. 

In  1777,  the  year  of  Dolly's  death,  Mr.  Barrington 
found  another  Cornishman  named  John  Nancarrow,  of 
Marazion,  aged  forty-five  years,  able  to  speak  Cornish. 
John  Nancarrow  said  that  **  in  his  youth  he  had  learned 
the  language  from  the  country  people,  and  could  thus 
hold  a  conversation  in  it ;  and  that  another,  a  native  of 
Truro,  was  at  that  time  also  acquainted  with  the 
Cornish  language,  and  like  himself  was  able  to  con- 
verse in  it." 

This  last  is  supposed  to  be  the  Mr.  Tomson  who 
wrote  the  epitaph  for  Dolly  Pentreath  which  was  never 
set  up. 


DOLLY    PENTREATH  243 

In  Hitchens'  and  Drew's  History  of  Corn-wall,  it  is 
said  :  ''The  Cornish  language  was  current  in  a  part  of 
the  South  Hams  in  the  time  of  Edward  I  (i 272-1307). 
Long  after  this  it  was  common  on  the  banks  of  the 
Tamar,  and  in  Cornwall  it  was  universally  spoken. 

''  But  it  was  not  till  towards  the  conclusion  of  the 
reign  of  Henry  VIII  (1509-47)  that  the  English 
language  had  found  its  way  into  any  of  the  Cornish 
churches.  Before  this  time  the  Cornish  language  was 
the  established  vehicle  of  communication. 

'*  Dr.  Moreman,  a  native  of  Southill,  but  vicar  of 
Menheniot,  was  the  first  who  taught  the  inhabitants 
of  this  parish  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Creed,  and  the 
Ten  Commandments  in  the  English  tongue  ;  and  this 
was  not  done  till  just  about  the  time  that  Henry  VIII 
closed  his  reign.  From  this  fact  one  inference  is 
obvious,  which  is,  that  if  the  inhabitants  of  Menheniot 
knew  nothing  more  of  the  English  than  what  was  thus 
learnt  from  the  vicar  of  the  parish,  the  Cornish  must 
have  prevailed  among  them  at  that  time  .  .  .  and  as 
the  English  language  in  its  progress  travelled  from 
east  to  west,  we  may  reasonably  conclude  that  about 
this  time  it  had  not  penetrated  far  into  the  county,  as 
Menheniot  lies  towards  its  eastern  quarter. 

"  From  the  time  the  liturgy  was  established  in  the 
Cornish  churches  in  the  English  language,  the  Cornish 
tongue  rapidly  declined. 

"Hence  Mr.  Carew,  who  published  his  Survey  of 
Cornwall  in  1602,  notices  the  almost  total  extirpation 
of  the  language  in  his  days.  He  says,  *  The  principal 
love  and  knowledge  of  this  language  liveth  in  Dr. 
Kennall  the  civilian,  and  with  him  lyeth  buried  ;  for 
the  English  speech  doth  still  encroach  upon  it  and 
hath  driven  the  same  into  the  uttermost  skirts  of  the 
shire.     Most  of  the  inhabitants  can  speak  no  word  of 


244  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

Cornish  ;  but  few  are  ignorant  of  the  English  ;  and  yet 
some  so  affect  their  airs,  as  to  a  stranger  they  will  not 
speak  it ;  for  if  meeting  them  by  chance  you  inquire 
the  way,  or  any  such  matter,  your  answer  shall  be, 
*' Meea  naurdua  cowzasourzneck  ? ''  (I  can  speak  no 
Saxonage).' 

''Carew's  Survey  was  soon  followed  by  that  of 
Norden,  by  whom  we  are  informed  that  the  Cornish 
language  was  chiefly  confined  to  the  western  hundreds 
of  the  county,  particularly  to  Penwith  and  Kirrier,  and 
yet  (which  is  to  be  marveyled)  though  the  husband 
and  wife,  parents  and  children,  masters  and  servants, 
etc.,  naturally  communicate  in  their  native  language, 
yet  there  is  none  of  them  in  a  manner  but  is  able  to 
converse  with  a  stranger  in  the  English  tongue,  unless 
it  be  some  obscure  people  who  seldom  confer  with  the 
better  sort.  But  it  seemeth,  however,  that  in  a  few 
years  the  Cornish  will  be  by  little  and  little  abandoned." 

The  Cornish  was,  however,  so  well  spoken  in  the 
parish  of  Feock  by  the  old  inhabitants  till  about  the 
year  1640,  "that  Mr.  William  Jackman,  the  then  vicar, 
and  chaplain  also  of  Pendennis  Castle,  at  the  siege 
thereof  by  the  Parliament  army,  was  forced  for  divers 
years  to  administer  the  sacrament  to  the  communicants 
in  the  Cornish  tongue,  because  the  aged  people  did  not 
well  understand  the  English,  as  he  himself  often  told 
me,"  says  Hals. 

So  late  as  1650  the  Cornish  language  was  currently 
spoken  in  the  parishes  of  Paul  and  S.  Just ;  the  fisher- 
women  and  market-women  in  the  former,  and  the 
tinner  in  the  latter,  for  the  most  part  conversing  in 
their  old  vernacular  tongue  ;  and  Mr.  Scawen  says  that 
in  1678  the  Rev.  F.  Robinson,  rector  of  Landewed- 
nack,  "preached  a  sermon  to  his  parishioners  in  the 
Cornish  language  only." 


DOLLY    PENTREATH  245 

Had  the  Bible  been  translated,  had  even  the  English 
Prayer-book  been  rendered  into  Cornish,  the  language 
would  have  lived  on.  It  is  due  to  a  large  extent  to 
this — the  translation  into  Welsh — that  in  Wales  their 
ancient  language  has  maintained  itself. 

The  editors  of  the  Bibliotheca  Cornubiensis  state  that 
Dorothy  Jeffery,  daughter  of  Nicolas  Pentreath,  was 
baptized  at  Paul  17th  May,  17 14;  and  they  conclude 
that  she  was  the  Dolly  Pentreath  who  died  in  1777,  and 
that  her  age  accordingly  was  sixty-three  and  not  one 
hundred  and  two. 

But  this  is  a  mistake.  Dolly  was  a  Jeffery  by  birth 
and  married  a  Pentreath. 

A  story  is  told  of  Dolly  in  Mr.  J.  Henry  Harris's 
Cornish  Saints  and  Sinners,  *'as  current  in  Mousehole, 
but  whether  true  or  well  conceived  it  is  not  possible  for 
me  to  say." 

It  is  to  this  effect :  that  on  one  occasion  a  deserter 
from  a  man-of-war  fled  to  her  house  for  refuge,  and  as 
there  was  a  cavity  in  her  chimney  large  enough  to 
contain  a  man,  she  thrust  him  into  it,  and  threw  a 
bundle  of  dry  furze  on  the  fire,  and  filled  the  crock 
with  water.  Into  the  middle  of  the  kitchen  she  drew 
a  **keeve,"  which  she  used  for  washing,  and  when  the 
naval  officer  and  his  men  in  pursuit  burst  into  her 
house,  Dolly  was  sitting  on  a  stool,  her  legs  bare  and 
her  feet  ready  to  be  immersed  in  the  keeve.  She 
screamed  out  on  their  entry  that  she  was  about  to  wash 
her  feet,  and  only  waiting  for  the  water  to  get  hot 
enough.  The  officer  persisted  in  searching,  and  she  gave 
tongue  in  strong  and  forcible  Cornish.  She  rushed  to 
the  door  and  screamed  to  the  good  people  of  Mouse- 
hole,  that  the  lieutenant  and  his  men  had  invaded  her 
house  without  leave,  and  were  impudent  and  audacious 
enough  to   ransack  every  other  cottage  in  the  place. 


246  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

The  officer  and  his  men  withdrew  without  having  seen 
and  secured  their  man  ;  and  that  night  a  fishing  lugger 
stole  out  of  Mousehole  with  the  deserter  on  board  and 
made  for  Guernsey,  which  in  those  days  was  a  sort  of 
dumping-ground  for  all  kinds  of  rascals  who  were 
**  wanted  "  at  home. 


ROBERT  JEFFERY    OF    POLPERRO 

MRS.  BRAY,  in  her  novel  Trelawny  of 
Trelawne,  written  in  1834,  ^^us  describes 
Polperro  as  it  was  at  that  time.  It  has 
lost  much  but  not  all  of  its  picturesque- 
ness.  Many  of  the  old  fishermen's  cottages  have  been 
pulled  down,  and  their  places  taken  by  ugly  modern 
houses. 

"Looe,"  says  she,  "beautiful  as  it  is,  is  not  to  be 
compared  to  Polperro,  two  miles  distant  from  Tre- 
lawne.  The  descent  to  it  is  so  steep,  that  I,  who  was 
not  accustomed  to  the  path,  could  only  get  down  by 
clinging  to  Mr.  Bray's  arm  for  support;  it  was  slippery, 
and  so  rocky  that  in  some  places  there  were  steps  cut 
in  the  road  for  the  convenience  of  the  passenger.  The 
view  of  the  little  port,  the  old  town  in  the  bottom  (if 
town  it  can  be  called),  the  cliffs,  and  the  spiked  rocks 
that  start  up  in  the  wildest  and  most  abrupt  manner, 
breaking  the  direct  sweep  of  the  waves  towards  the 
harbour,  altogether  produced  such  a  combination  of 
magnificent  coast  scenery  as  may  truly  be  called  sub- 
lime." 

Long  before  this,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII, 
Leland,  who  visited  it,  wrote:  "By  est,  the  haven  of 
Fowey  upon  a  iiii  miles  of — ys  a  smawle  creke  cawled 
Paul  Pier^  and  a  symple  and  poore  village  upon  the  est 
side  of  the  same,  of  fisharmen,  and  the  boetes  ther 
fishing  by  [be]  saved  by  a  Peere  or  key." 

Robert  Jeffery  was  the  son   of  John  Jeffery,  barge- 

247 


248  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

man  at  Fowey,  afterwards  a  publican  at  Polperro. 
John  Jeffery  died  in  1802,  and  his  widow  remarried 
Benjamin  Coad,  blacksmith. 

Robert  was  baptized  at  Fowey,  22nd  January,  1790. 
He  was  impressed  for  the  Royal  Navy,  and  was  placed 
on  board  H.M.  brig  Recruit^  under  Captain  the  Hon. 
Warwick  Lake,  in  1807. 

Warwick  Lake  was  the  third  son  of  Gerard,  first 
Viscount  Lake,  so  created  in  1807,  and  he  eventually 
succeeded  as  third  Viscount  in  1836.  His  career  in 
the  Navy  had  not  been  particularly  creditable.  In 
November,  1803,  he  had  been  lieutenant  on  board  the 
frigate  Blanche^  Captain  Zachariah  Mudge,  lying  at 
anchor  off  the  entrance  of  Mancenille  Bay,  Isle  of 
S.  Domingo.  In  the  harbour  lay  the  French  cutter 
Albion^  armed  with  two  4-pounders,  six  swivels,  and 
twenty  muskets,  and  manned  by  forty-three  officers 
and  men,  lying  under  the  guns  of  the  fort  of  Monte 
Christo.  A  night  attack  was  determined  upon,  and 
Lieutenant  Edward  Nicolls,  of  the  Marines,  volun- 
teered, with  one  boat,  to  attempt  cutting  out  the  vessel. 
His  offer  was  accepted  ;  and  on  the  evening  of  the 
4th  November,  the  red  cutter,  with  thirteen  men,  in- 
cluding himself,  pushed  off  from  the  frigate.  Shortly 
after  Captain  Mudge  despatched  the  barge,  with 
twenty-two  men,  under  the  Hon.  Warwick  Lake,  to 
follow  the  red  cutter  and  supersede  Nicolls  in  the 
command.  As  the  barge  approached  the  cutter, 
Nicolls  hailed  her  and  demanded  a  united  attack. 
But  Lake  feared  that  the  hazards  were  too  great,  and 
instead  of  following  he  moved  away  to  the  north-west 
side  of  the  bay,  leaving  Lieutenant  Nicolls  to  attack 
unassisted.  The  red  cutter,  thus  deserted,  proceeded 
dauntlessly  on  her  way,  and  as  soon  as  she  arrived 
within  pistol-shot  was   hailed.     Replying   with   three 


ROBERT  JEFFERY   OF   POLPERRO     249 

hearty  cheers  the  boat  proceeded,  and  received  in 
quick  succession  two  volleys  of  musketry.  The  first 
passed  over  the  heads  of  the  British  ;  but  the  second 
severely  wounded  the  coxswain,  the  man  at  the  bow- 
oar,  and  a  marine.  Before  the  French  cutter  could  fire 
a  third  time,  Nicolls,  at  the  head  of  his  little  party, 
sprang  on  board  of  her.  The  French  captain  fired  at 
the  lieutenant,  and  the  ball  passed  round  his  body  in 
the  flesh,  and  lodged  in  his  right  arm.  At  the  same 
moment  the  French  captain  was  shot.  After  this,  little 
resistance  was  offered.  The  French  officers  and  crew 
were  driven  below,  with  the  loss,  beside  the  captain,  of 
five  men  wounded. 

So  far  the  battery  had  not  fired,  and  Nicolls  ordered 
that  the  Albion  should  be  got  under  sail,  and  the  cable 
was  cut. 

At  this  moment  up  came  the  barge,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  the  Hon.  Warwick  Lake.  He  took  com- 
mand of  the  prize  captured  by  Nicolls,  and  with  two 
boats  towing  her  soon  ran  her  out  of  gunshot  of  the 
battery,  which  had  now  at  last  opened  fire,  and  joined 
the  frigate  in  the  offing. 

Captain  Mudge,  in  his  report  to  the  Admiralty,  wrote  : 
"  Having  gained  intelligence  that  there  was  a  large 
coppered  cutter  full  of  bullocks  for  the  Cape  laying 
close  under  the  guns  of  Monte  Christi  (four  24-pounders 
and  three  field-pieces),  notwithstanding  her  situation,  I 
was  convinced  we  could  bring  her  off;  and  at  two  this 
morning  she  was  masterly  and  gallantly  attacked  by 
Lieutenant  Lake  in  the  cutter^  and  Lieutenant  Nicolls,  of 
the  Marines,  in  the  barge,  who  cut  her  out.  She  is 
ninety-two  tons  burden,  etc.  This  affair  lost  me  two 
men  killed,  and  two  wounded." 

As  will  be  seen,  this  was  a  gross  misstatement  of 
facts.     The  Hon.  Warwick  Lake  was  in  the  barge,  and 


250  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

did  nothing  till  the  Albion  had  been  captured  by  Lieu- 
tenant Nicolls  in  the  cutter.  Nor  was  this  all.  Among 
the  two  wounded,  Lieutenant  Nicolls,  the  hero  of  the 
action,  was  not  named.  His  wound  was  not  a  scratch, 
but  a  hole  on  each  side  of  his  body  and  a  ball  in  his 
arm,  that  sent  him  bleeding  to  the  cock-pit  of  the 
Blanche. 

The  Patriotic  Fund  presented  to  Lieutenant  Lake 
"  for  his  gallantry"  a  sword  valued  at  £50,  and  he  did 
not  blush  to  receive  it,  whereas  Lieutenant  Nicolls 
received  one  valued  at  ;^30.  Not  till  much  later  was  it 
discovered  who  had  been  the  hero  of  the  action,  and 
who  the  sneak  who  flourished  the  plumes  due  to 
another. 

In  1807  Lake  was  captain  of  the  Recruit,  an  i8-gun 
brig-sloop. 

Jeffery,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  had  entered  in  1807  on 
board  the  Lord  Nelson  privateer  of  Plymouth  ;  but 
eight  days  after,  when  the  privateer  had  put  into  Fal- 
mouth, was  pressed  by  an  officer  of  the  Recruit,  which 
soon  after  sailed  for  the  West  Indies.  Jeffery  was  a 
skulking,  ill-conditioned  fellow,  who  was  caught  steal- 
ing a  bottle  of  rum  and  was  punished  for  it,  and  by  his 
own  acknowledgment,  on  December  loth,  went  to  the 
spruce-beer  cask  and  drew  off  about  two  quarts.  A 
shipmate  saw  and  informed  against  Jeffery,  and  Cap- 
tain Lake  ordered  the  sergeant  of  marines  to  *'  put  him 
in  the  black  list,"  and  he  had  the  word  Thief  painted  on 
a  bit  of  canvas  and  affixed  to  his  back. 

Edward  Spencer,  master,  told  his  captain  that  the 
fellow  was  no  good  on  board,  and  that  the  best  thing 
that  could  be  done  with  him  was  to  put  him  on  shore. 

On  the  13th  December  the  Recruit  was  passing  the 
island  of  Sombrero,  that  lies  between  the  islet  of 
Anyada   in   the    Puerta   Virgin    Islands    and    that   of 


ROBERT  JEFFERY   OF   POLPERRO     251 

Anguella  in  the  Lesser  Antilles  group.  It  was  towards 
evening  between  five  and  six  of  the  afternoon. 
Captain  Lake  then  ordered  Jeffery  to  be  brought  on 
deck,  and  saying  that  he  would  not  keep  such  a  worth- 
less scoundrel  on  the  ship,  gave  orders  to  Lieutenant 
Mould  to  have  out  the  boat  and  convey  Jeffery  on 
shore.  Neither  the  captain  nor  any  of  the  crew  knew 
that  the  island  was  desert  and  waterless.  They  be- 
lieved that  it  was  inhabited  by  a  few  fishermen,  and  in 
the  evening  light  mistook  some  rocks  on  shore  for 
houses.  Accordingly,  a  little  before  6  p.m.,  Jeffery 
was  placed  in  a  boat  along  with  the  second  lieutenant 
of  the  brig,  Richard  Gotten  Mould,  a  midshipman, 
and  four  sailors,  and  landed  on  Sombrero,  without 
shoes  to  his  feet,  or  any  other  clothes  than  those  on  his 
back,  and  without  even  a  biscuit  for  food. 

Lieutenant  Mould,  seeing  that  the  lad's  feet  were  cut 
and  bleeding  by  stepping  on  the  sharp-pointed  rocks, 
begged  a  pair  of  shoes  for  him  from  one  of  the  sea- 
men, and  gave  him  his  knife  and  a  couple  of  handker- 
chiefs, to  be  made  use  of  as  signals,  and  advised  him 
to  keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  passing  vessels.  Then  he 
pulled  back  to  the  Recruit. 

Captain  Lake  was  possibly  suffering  from  what  would 
now  be  termed  a  '*  swollen  head."  His  father,  a  gallant 
officer,  but  of  no  great  descent,  for  his  services  in  the 
Maharatta  war  had  been  created  Baron  Lake  of  Delhi 
and  of  Aston  Clinton,  Bucks,  in  1804,  and  had  received 
thanks  for  his  services  by  both  Houses  of  Parliament. 
His  elder  brother  had  married  the  sister  of  Charles, 
Earl  of  Whitworth,  and  his  father  had  been  granted 
an  augmentation  of  arms,  a  fish  naiant  in  fesse,  to 
represent  the  fish  of  the  Great  Mogul,  pierced  with 
shafts. 

Lake  was  a  hot-headed  man,  and  he  had  just  dined. 


252  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

That  he  intended  to  commit  an  act  of  barbarity  is  far 
from  the  truth.  Jeffery  was  a  nuisance  of  which  he 
desired  to  free  the  ship,  and  the  opportunity  offered, 
and  he  took  advantage  of  it  without  stopping  to  in- 
quire what  was  the  nature  of  the  island  on  which  he 
left  the  young  man. 

On  reaching  the  Leeward  Islands,  where  Sir  Alex- 
ander Cochrane  was  in  command  of  the  squadron,  that 
officer  heard  of  what  Lake  had  done,  promptly  repri- 
manded him,  and  ordered  him  to  return  to  Sombrero 
and  fetch  off"  Jeffery. 

On  February  nth,  1908,  the  Recruit  anchored  off 
the  island,  and  her  officers  landed  and  searched  it  over, 
but  neither  Jeffery  nor  his  body  could  be  found.  A 
pair  of  trousers  and  a  tomahawk  handle  were  the  only 
vestiges  of  humanity  discoverable.  The  island,  how- 
ever, abounded  in  turtle  and  wild  birds  and  their  eggs, 
but  the  water  was  brackish. 

For  eight  days,  in  fact,  Jeffery  had  wandered  over 
the  hump  of  rock  and  sand  that  constituted  the  islet  of 
Sombrero,  and  lived  on  limpets  and  eggs,  and  drunk 
the  water  collected  in  fissures  of  the  rock.  He  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  given  flint  and  steel,  and  the 
means  of  making  a  fire,  so  that  he  could  not  feast  on 
turtle  and  puffins  ;  but,  indeed,  there  were  no  trees, 
consequently  hardly  any  fuel  available  for  cooking  a 
dinner. 

He  saw  several  vessels  pass,  and  indeed  Sombrero  was 
in  the  track  of  merchant  vessels,  but  he  failed  to  make 
them  observe  his  signals.  At  length,  on  the  morning 
of  the  ninth  day,  the  schooner  Adams^  of  Marblehead, 
Massachusetts,  John  Dennis  master,  came  to  the 
island  and  took  the  fellow  off,  and  landed  him  at 
Marblehead,  where  he  worked  at  a  forge.  Little 
conscious  that  he  was  like  to  be  made  political  capital 


ROBERT   JEFFERY    OF   POLPERRO      253 

of  and  to  become  of  consequence,  he  did  not  even 
trouble  to  write  home  to  Polperro  to  announce  his 
safety  and  his  whereabouts. 

Sir  A.  Cochrane  was  satisfied  that  the  man  could 
not  have  died  on  Sombrero,  as  his  body  was  not  dis- 
covered, nor  was  he  likely  to  die  on  an  island  abound- 
ing in  turtles  and  eggs ;  he  concluded  that  he  had 
been  carried  away  by  one  of  the  many  ships  that 
passed.  He  convinced  himself  that  Captain  Lake  had 
been  guilty  of  an  illegal  act,  but  had  not  desired  to  do 
one  that  was  cruel,  and  he  hoped  that  the  matter  would 
be  forgotten  after  he  had  administered  a  reprimand. 

But  the  story  got  about.  It  reached  England.  A 
busybody,  Charles  M.  Thomas,  who  had  been  purser 
on  board  H.M.  sloop  Demarara,  but  had  been  im- 
prisoned on  suspicion  that  he  had  defrauded  the 
Government,  wrote  home  to  Mr.  C.  Bathurst,  brother  of 
the  M.P.  for  Bristol,  to  this  effect  :  "  I  deem  it  a  duty  I 
owe  to  humanity,  to  inform  you  that  Captain  Lake, 
when  commander  of  the  Recruit,  set  a  man  belonging 
to  that  vessel  on  shore  at  Sombrero,  an  uninhabited 
island  in  the  Atlantic  Archipelago,  where  he  died 
through  hunger,  or  otherwise,  for  more  was  never 
heard  of  him.  This  was  known  to  Sir  A.  Cochrane, 
who  suffered  this  titled  murderer  to  escape,  and  he  is 
now  in  command  of  the  Ulysses.''''  The  letter  was  dated 
March  24th,  1809,  more  than  a  year  after  Jeffery  had 
been  left  on  Sombrero.  Its  purport  was  obvious 
enough.  Thomas  wanted  to  be  revenged  on  Cochrane 
for  looking  into  the  matter  of  his  alleged  frauds. 

The  fat  was  now  in  the  fire.  Sir  Francis  Burdett 
took  the  matter  up,  the  Radicals  throughout  the 
country  made  immense  capital  out  of  the  starving  to 
death  of  a  poor  seaman  by  a  member  of  a  noble  family. 
The   case  was   kept   perseveringly  before  the  public. 


254  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

so  that  the  Government  was  constrained  to  issue  orders 
for  a  strict  inquiry  to  be  made  as  to  whether  Jeffery 
was  still  alive  or  dead. 

Presently  an  account  was  received,  purporting  to  be 
by  Jeffery,  giving  information  relative  to  his  rescue 
and  his  condition  in  America ;  but  as  to  this  was 
appended  a  cross  for  his  signature,  whereas  Jeffery  was 
known  to  have  been  able  to  write,  the  public  were  led 
to  suspect  that  this  was  a  fabrication  contrived  by 
Lake's  relatives  and  friends. 

To  settle  the  matter  finally,  a  ship  was  despatched  to 
bring  Jeffery  home,  and  he  arrived  at  Portsmouth  in 
October,  1810,  three  years  after  his  adventure  in 
Sombrero,  and  to  find  himself  the  hero  of  a  party. 
On  October  22nd  he  attended  at  the  Admiralty,  where 
he  received  his  discharge,  and  had  the  "  R  "  taken  off  his 
name,  by  which  he  became  entitled  to  all  arrears  of 
pay.  The  family  of  Captain  Lake  made  him  liberal 
compensation  for  the  very  slight  hardships  he  had 
undergone,  but  which  in  Jeffery's  own  account  and 
in  that  of  his  partisans  were  magnified  enormously. 

On  the  5th  and  6th  of  February,  18 10,  a  court-martial 
assembled  on  board  the  Gladiator  at  Portsmouth  to  try 
Captain  Lake  for  having  abandoned  a  seaman  on  a 
desert  and  uninhabited  island.  Captain  Lake  com- 
plained that  the  witnesses  whom  he  might  have 
summoned  to  speak  for  him  were  away  in  various 
ships  in  different  parts  of  the  world.  He  produced 
a  letter  signed  by  all  the  officers  of  the  Ulysses, 
the  vessel  he  then  commanded,  protesting  that  he  was 
humane  and  incapable  of  doing  an  act  of  wanton 
cruelty. 

At  this  time  it  was  not  known  whether  Jeffery  was 
alive  or  dead.  Captain  Lake  made  a  manly  defence. 
"You   will    be   pleased   to   recollect   the    evidence   of 


ROBERT   JEFFERY   OF    POLPERRO      255 

Mr.  Spencer,  the  chief  witness  on  the  part  of  the  prose- 
cution, on  this  point.  He  himself  advised  me  to  get 
the  man  out  of  the  ship,  and  I  declare  that,  by  landing 
him,  I  thought  he  would  be  made  more  sensible  of  his 
want  of  conduct,  and  reform  in  future.  I  was  per- 
suaded at  the  time  that  the  island  was  inhabited  ;  in 
addition  to  which,  I  cannot  but  suppose  it  within  your 
knowledge  that  the  island  is  not  out  of  reach  of  human 
assistance.  I  need  not  state  that  it  is  within  the  track 
of  vessels  on  particular  destinations,  and  which  fre- 
quently pass  within  hail  of  the  island.  Jeffery  found 
this  to  be  the  case,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  but 
that  he  was  taken  off  the  island  ;  for  on  a  search  being 
made  for  him  there  afterwards,  one  of  the  witnesses 
states  expressly  that  not  a  trace  of  him  was  to  be 
found,  which  I  cannot  conceive  could  have  been  the 
case  if  he  had  perished  there,  as  is  most  unwarrantably 
asserted  by  Thomas.  Gentlemen,  I  have  no  doubt  he 
was  conveyed  to  America  in  perfect  safety.  I  myself 
verily  believe  he  is  in  England  at  this  moment, 
consigned  (as  it  were)  to  the  merchants  who,  perhaps, 
are  keeping  him  concealed  till  the  edict  of  the  court- 
martial  is  known,  and  then  he  may  be  let  loose  upon 
me,  to  seek  a  compensation  in  damages  by  an  action 
at  law.  The  place  of  his  concealment,  however,  has 
hitherto  eluded  the  diligence  of  my  agents." 

He  appealed  to  the  official  report  made  to  the 
Admiralty  at  the  time  by  Sir  A.  Cochrane:  "Be 
pleased  to  consider  attentively  the  statement  made  by 
this  official  communication  ;  contrast  it  with  the  letter 
of  Thomas,  and  then  decide  whether  he  was  warranted 
in  asserting  that  Robert  Jeffery  had  perished  through 
the  inhumanity  of  one  whom  he  has  thought  proper  to 
describe  as  a  *  titled  murderer.'  " 

The  court-martial  pronounced  sentence:  "Pursuant 


256  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

to  an  order  from  the  Right  Honourable  Lords  Com- 
missioners of  the  Admiralty,  dated  3rd  February  in- 
stant, and  directed  to  the  President,  setting  forth  that 
a  letter  had  been  addressed  to  their  Lordships  by 
the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Bathurst,  enclosing  a  letter 
to  him  from  Mr.  Charles  Morgan  Thomas,  dated  24th 
March,  1809  .  .  .  and  having  heard  evidence  produced 
in  support  of  the  charge,  and  by  the  said  Hon. 
Warwick  Lake  in  his  Defence  .  .  .  the  Court  is  of 
opinion,  That  the  charge  has  been  proved  against  the 
said  Hon.  Warwick  Lake,  and  doth  adjudge  him  to 
be  dismissed  from  His  Majesty's  service  ;  and  the  said 
Hon.  Warwick  Lake  is  hereby  dismissed  from  His 
Majesty's  service." 

In  1836  the  Hon.  Warwick  Lake  succeeded  to 
the  viscounty,  and  died  in  1848,  leaving  behind  him 
only  two  daughters,  one  unmarried,  the  other  married 
to  a  Gloag.  He  was  certainly  very  hardly  treated,  and 
as  certainly  an  utterly  worthless  scoundrel  was  exalted 
into  a  hero.  Jeffery  returned  to  Polperro,  where  he 
was  received  with  curiosity.  There  his  antecedents  were 
well  known,  and  the  value  of  his  statements  of  terrible 
privation  taken  for  what  they  were  worth.  Elsewhere 
he  received  an  enthusiastic  ovation.  He  hired  himself 
out  to  be  "  run  "  by  speculators  at  some  of  the  minor 
theatres  in  London  as  ''Jeffery  the  Sailor."  After  a 
few  months  he  returned  to  Polperro  with  money  enough 
in  his  pocket  to  enable  him  to  purchase  a  small 
schooner  for  the  coasting  trade. 

The  speculation  did  not  answer  his  expectations. 
He  fell  into  consumption,  and  died  in  1820,  leaving  a 
wife  and  daughter  in  great  penury.  He  was  a  mean,  not 
to  say  a  despicable  creature,  who  was  used  for  political 
purposes,  and  when  he  had  served  these  was  allowed  to 
drop  into  his  proper  insignificance. 


ROBERT   JEFFERY   OF   POLPERRO      257 

Authorities  are  a  Life  of  Robert  Jeff ery^  published  by 
B.  Crosby,  181 1.  An  Account  of  R.  Jeffery^  published 
by  J.  Pitt,  181 1. 

A  Narrative  of  the  Life  of  Robert  feffery,  with  por- 
trait, 1810. 

Couch,  J.  :  History  of  Polperro,  edited  by  J.  Q. 
Couch,  1870. 

James's  Naval  History,  1876,  Vol.  IV. 

Cobbett's  Political  Register,  18 10,  pp.  396-415,  459- 
464. 

Cobbett  gives  a  report  of  the  courts-martial. 

The  story  was  also  given  in  Chambers's  Edinburgh 
Journal,  1848,  pp.  147-51. 


ADMIRAL    RICHARD    DARTON 
THOMAS 

RICHARD  DARTON  THOMAS  was  born 
at  Saltash  on  2nd  June,  1777,  son  of 
Charles  and  Mary  Thomas  of  that  place. 
Drinking  in  the  sea  air,  living  in  the  midst 
of  sailors  and  fisher-folk,  he  early  took  a  fancy  for  the 
sea,  and  entered  as  an  able-bodied  seaman  in  the 
Royal  Navy,  in  1790,  at  the  age  of  thirteen.  His  in- 
telligence, his  pleasant  manners,  won  the  regard  of  his 
officers  and  he  was  raised  to  be  midshipman  in 
1792,  and  became  master's  mate  in  the  ensuing  year. 
He  was  in  the  Boyne  under  Sir  John  Jervis  when 
Martinique  was  captured,  and  on  the  return  of  the 
Boyne  to  England,  he  was  on  board  when  that  vessel 
was  burnt  at  Spithead,  ist  May,  1795.  The  marines  had 
been  exercising  and  firing  on  the  windward  side, 
and  it  is  supposed  that  some  ignited  paper  of  the 
cartridges  flew  through  the  quarter-galley  into  the 
admiral's  cabin  and  communicated  with  the  papers 
lying  about  on  the  table.  It  was  at  11  a.m.  that  the 
fire  broke  out,  the  flames  bursting  through  the  poop 
before  the  fire  was  discovered,  and  it  spread  so  rapidly 
that  in  less  than  half  an  hour  this  fine  ship,  in  spite  of 
every  exertion  of  the  officers  and  crew,  was  in  a  blaze 
fore  and  aft.  As  soon  as  the  fire  was  discovered  by 
the  fleet,  all  the  boats  of  the  ships  proceeded  to  the 
assistance  of  the  Boyne,  and  the  whole  of  the  numerous 
crew,  except  eleven,  were  saved. 

258 


ADMIRAL  RICHARD  DARTON  THOMAS    259 

The  Boyne's  guns  being  loaded  went  off  as  they 
became  heated,  discharging  their  shot  among  the 
shipping,  whereby  two  men  were  killed  and  one  wounded 
on  board  the  Queen  Charlotte.  At  about  half-past  one 
the  Boyne  burnt  from  her  cables  and  drifted  to  the 
east  with  a  streamer  of  fire  and  smoke  pouring  from  her ; 
she  then  grounded  and  continued  to  burn  till  six  o'clock, 
when  the  fire  reached  her  magazine  and  she  blew  up. 
This,  as  Captain  Brenton  wrote,  * '  offered  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  sights  that  can  be  conceived.  The  after- 
noon was  perfectly  calm  and  the  sky  clear ;  the  flames 
which  darted  from  her  in  a  perpendicular  column  of 
great  height  were  terminated  by  an  opaque  white  cloud 
like  a  round  cap,  while  the  air  was  filled  with  frag- 
ments of  wreck  in  every  direction,  and  the  stump  of  the 
foremast  was  seen  above  the  smoke  descending  to  the 
water." 

We  next  find  Thomas  serving  as  lieutenant  on 
board  the  Excellent^  commanded  by  Captain  Colli ng- 
wood,  in  the  battle  off  Cape  S.  Vincent.  It  was  in- 
tended that  the  Spanish  fleet  should  join  that  of  Brest,  if 
this  latter  could  get  out,  then  if  joined  by  the  Dutch 
fleet,  cover  the  transports  that  would  convey  an  invad- 
ing army  to  England.  But,  as  Touchstone  wisely  said, 
there  is  ''  much  virtue  in  If.''  Sir  John  Jervis  fell  in 
with  the  Spanish  fleet  of  twenty-seven  sail  of  the  line,  on 
February  14th,  1797,  as  it  had  just  issued  from  Cadiz. 
The  English  had  only  fifteen  men-of-war ;  but  the 
greater  part  of  the  Spanish  crew  were  about  equally 
destitute  of  seamanship  and  spirit,  and  Nelson  had  said 
just  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  with  Spain,  that  if 
her  fleet  were  no  better  now  than  when  it  acted  in 
alliance  with  us  it  would  **soon  be  done  for."  By 
breaking  the  line,  by  battering  and  boarding,  four 
Spanish  ships  of  the  line,  including  one  of  112  guns, 


26o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

were  taken  ;  and  all  the  rest  were  driven  into  Cadiz  and 
there  blockaded. 

During  the  action  the  Excellent,  on  which  Richard 
Thomas  was  lieutenant,  was  acknowledged  by  Nelson 
to  have  taken  a  very  distinguished  share,  and  to  have 
rendered  him  the  most  effectual  support  in  the  hottest 
part  of  the  battle,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  note 
which  he  addressed  to  her  commander,  and  an  extract 
from  his  own  account  of  the  transactions  in  which  he 
himself  was  personally  engaged. 

His  note  ran:  ''Dear  Collingwood, — A  friend  in 
need  is  a  friend  indeed." 

Nelson's  account  of  the  assistance  he  received  from 
the  Excellent  runs  thus  : — 

"At  this  time  (about  2.15  p.m.)  the  Salvador  del 
Mundo  and  San  Esidero  dropped  astern,  and  were  fired 
into,  in  a  masterly  style,  by  the  Excellent^  Captain 
Collingwood,  who  compelled  the  San  Esidero  to  hoist 
English  colours  ;  and  I  thought  the  large  ship,  the 
Salvador  del  Mimdo,  had  also  struck,  but  Captain 
Collingwood,  disdaining  the  parade  of  taking  posses- 
sion of  a  vanquished  enemy,  most  gallantly  pushed 
up,  with  every  sail  set,  to  save  his  old  friend  and  mess- 
mate, who  was  to  appearance  in  a  critical  state,  the 
Blenheim  being  ahead,  the  Culloden  crippled  and  astern. 
The  Excellent  ranged  up  within  two  feet  of  the  San 
Nicholas,  giving  a  most  tremendous  fire.  The  San 
Nicholas  luffing  up,  the  San  Josef  fell  on  board  her  ; 
and  the  Excellent  passing  on  for  the  Santa  Trinidada, 
the  Captain  resumed  her  station  abreast  of  these,  and 
close  alongside." 

The  Excelle7it,  in  fact,  succeeded  in  getting  close 
under  the  lee  of  the  Santissima  Trinidada,  mounting 
130  guns,  and  engaged  her  for  nearly  an  hour,  assisted 
by  the  Orion,  the  Irresistible,  and  the  Blenheim.     The 


ADMIRAL  RICHARD  DARTON  THOMAS    261 

huge  vessel  was  compelled  to  haul  down  her  colours,  but 
the  approach  of  thirteen  other  Spanish  ships  prevented 
her  opponents  from  profiting  by  the  advantage  they 
had  gained.  The  total  loss  on  the  Excellent  amounted 
to  eleven  men  killed  and  a  dozen  wounded. 

We  need  not  follow  Richard  D.  Thomas  through  his 
various  changes  of  ships.  He  was  mainly  with  Colling- 
wood,  whose  flag,  as  Rear-Admiral  of  the  White,  was 
flying  on  board  the  Barfieur,  of  ninety-eight  guns. 
With  him  he  remained  on  Channel  service  till  the 
suspension  of  hostilities  in  1802.  He  was  given  the 
rank  of  commander  in  1803,  when  in  the  Chichester  o^ 
Halifax. 

Returning  from  Nova  Scotia,  as  a  passenger  on  board 
the  packet  Lady  Hobart,  commanded  by  Captain  Fel- 
lowes,  he  experienced  shipwreck  and  terrible  hardships, 
by  the  vessel  running  on  an  iceberg. 

After  giving  an  account  of  his  sailing  from  Halifax, 
June  22nd,  1803,  and  the  capture  of  a  French  schooner 
laden  with  salt  fish  on  the  26th,  Captain  Fellowes 
says : — 

^^  Tuesday,  2.W1  June. — Blowing  hard  from  the  west- 
ward, with  a  heavy  sea  and  hazy  weather,  with  intervals 
of  thick  fog.  About  i  a.m.  the  ship,  then  going 
by  the  log  at  the  rate  of  seven  miles  an  hour,  struck 
against  an  island  of  ice  with  such  violence  that  several 
of  the  crew  were  pitched  out  of  their  hammocks.  Being 
roused  out  of  my  sleep  by  the  suddenness  of  the  shock, 
I  instantly  ran  upon  the  deck.  The  helm  being  put 
hard  aport,  the  ship  struck  again  about  the  chest-tree, 
then  swung  round  on  her  keel,  her  stern-post  being 
stove  in,  and  her  rudder  carried  away  before  we  could 
succeed  in  an  attempt  to  haul  her  off.  At  this  time  the 
island  of  ice  appeared  to  hang  quite  over  the  ship, 
possessing  a  high  peak,  which  must  have  been  at  least 


262  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

twice  the  height  of  our  masthead ;  and  we  suppose  the 
length  of  the  island  to  have  been  from  a  quarter  to  half 
a  mile. 

**The  sea  was  now  breaking  over  the  ice  in  a  dread- 
ful manner,  the  water  rushing  in  so  fast  as  to  fill  the 
hold  in  a  few  minutes.  Hove  the  guns  overboard,  cut 
away  the  anchors  from  the  bows,  got  two  sails  under 
the  ship's  bottom,  kept  both  pumps  going,  and  baling 
with  buckets  at  the  main  hatchway,  in  the  hope  of  pre- 
venting her  from  sinking  ;  but  in  less  than  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  she  settled  down  in  her  forechains  in  the 
water. 

"Our  situation  was  now  become  most  perilous. 
Aware  of  the  danger  of  a  moment's  delay  in  hoisting 
out  the  boats,  I  consulted  Captain  Thomas  of  the 
Navy,  and  Mr.  Bargus,  my  master,  as  to  the  propriety 
of  making  any  further  attempts  to  save  the  ship." 

Both  declared  that  nothing  effectual  could  be  done  to 
the  vessel  herself,  and  that,  as  every  moment  was 
precious,  the  boats  should  be  got  out  and  manned.  Of 
these  there  were  two,  the  cutter  and  the  jolly-boat,  and 
the  ladies  were  placed  in  the  former. 

Captain  Fellowes  expressed  himself  afterwards 
warmly  of  the  ability  and  readiness  with  which  Captain 
Thomas  aided  him.  In  bringing  the  ladies  into  the 
cutter,  one  of  them.  Miss  Cottenham,  was  so  terrified 
that  she  sprang  from  the  wreck  and  pitched  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat  with  considerable  violence.  This 
accident  might  have  been  serious,  but  happily  she  was 
not  injured. 

"  The  few  provisions  which  had  been  saved  from  the 
men's  berths  were  then  put  into  the  boats.  By  this  time 
the  main  deck  forward  was  under  water,  and  nothing 
but  the  quarter-deck  appeared  ;  I  then  ordered  my  men 
into  the  boats. 


ADMIRAL  RICHARD  DARTON  THOMAS    263 

"  The  ship  was  sinking  fast,  and  I  called  to  the  men 
to  haul  up  and  receive  me,  intending  to  drop  into  the 
cutter  from  the  end  of  the  trysail  boom. 

'*  The  sea  was  running  so  high  at  the  time  we  hoisted 
out  the  boats  that  I  scarcely  flattered  myself  we  should 
get  them  out  safely ;  and,  indeed,  nothing  but  the 
steady  and  orderly  conduct  of  the  crew  could  have 
enabled  us  to  effect  so  difficult  and  hazardous  an  under- 
taking ;  it  is  a  justice  to  them  to  observe  that  not  a 
man  in  the  ship  attempted  to  make  use  of  the  liquor, 
which  every  one  had  in  his  power. 

**  We  had  scarce  quitted  the  ship  when  she  suddenly 
gave  a  heavy  lurch  to  port,  and  then  went  down  fore- 
most. I  cannot  attempt  to  describe  my  own  feelings, 
or  the  sensations  of  my  people,  exposed  as  we  were,  in 
two  small  open  boats,  upon  the  great  Atlantic  Ocean, 
bereft  of  all  assistance  but  that  which  our  own  exertions, 
under  Providence,  could  afford  us,  we  narrowly  escaped 
being  swallowed  up  in  the  vortex. 

"  We  rigged  the  foremast,  and  prepared  to  shape  our 
course  in  the  best  manner  that  circumstances  would 
admit  of,  the  wind  blowing  from  the  precise  point  on 
which  it  was  necessary  to  sail  to  reach  the  nearest  land. 
An  hour  had  scarcely  elapsed  from  the  time  the  ship 
struck  till  she  foundered.  The  distribution  of  the  crew 
had  already  been  made  in  the  following  order,  which 
we  afterwards  preserved  : — 

**In  the  cutter  were  embarked  three  ladies  and 
myself.  Captain  Richard  Thomas ;  the  French  com- 
mander of  the  schooner  ;  the  master's  mate,  gunner, 
steward,  carpenter,  and  eight  seamen  ;  in  all  eighteen 
people,  whose  weight,  together  with  the  provisions, 
brought  the  boat's  gunwale  down  to  within  six  or  seven 
inches  of  the  water.  From  this  confined  space  some 
idea  may   be  formed  of  our  crowded  state  ;    but  it  is 


264  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

scarcely  .possible  for  the  imagination  to  conceive  the 
extent  of  our  sufferings  in  consequence. 

"  In  the  jolly-boat  were  embarked  Mr.  Samuel  Bar- 
gus,  master;  Lieut.-Colonel  George  Cocks,  of  the  ist 
Regiment  of  Guards  ;^  the  boatswain,  sailmaker,  and 
seven  seamen — in  all  eleven  persons. 

"The  only  provisions,  etc.,  we  were  enabled  to  save 
consisted  of  between  forty  and  fifty  pounds  of  biscuits, 
one  vessel  containing  five  gallons  of  water,  a  small  jug 
of  the  same,  and  part  of  a  small  barrel  of  spruce  beer  ; 
one  demi-john  of  rum,  a  few  bottles  of  port  wine,  with 
two  compasses,  a  quadrant,  a  spy-glass,  a  small  tin 
mug,  and  a  wine-glass.  The  deck  lantern,  which  had 
a  few  spare  candles  in  it,  had  been  likewise  thrown  into 
the  boat ;  and  the  cook  having  had  the  precaution  to 
secure  the  tinder-box  and  some  matches  that  were  kept 
in  a  bladder,  we  were  afterwards  enabled  to  steer  by 
night. 

"The  wind  was  now  blowing  strong  from  the  west- 
ward, with  a  heavy  sea,  and  the  day  just  dawned. 
Estimating  ourselves  to  be  at  the  distance  of  350  miles 
from  S.  John's,  Newfoundland,  with  a  prospect  of  a 
continuance  of  westerly  winds,  it  became  necessary  to 
use  the  strictest  economy.  I  represented  to  my  com- 
panions in  distress  that  our  resolution,  once  made, 
ought  on  no  account  to  be  changed,  and  that  we  must 
begin  by  suffering  privations,  which  I  foresaw  would 
be  greater  than  I  ventured  to  explain.  To  each  person, 
therefore,  were  served  out  half  a  biscuit  and  a  glass  of 
wine,  which  was  the  only  allowance  for  the  ensuing 
twenty-four  hours,  all  agreeing  to  leave  the  water 
untouched  as  long  as  possible." 

On  the  following  day  even  this  small  allowance  had 
to  be  contracted,  in  consequence  of  the  biscuit  being 

^  Afterwards  Sir  George  Cocks,  k.c.b.,  who  lost  an  arm  at  Waterloo. 


ADMIRAL  RICHARD  DARTON  THOMAS    265 

much  damaged  by  salt  water  during  the  night.  '*  Soon 
after  daylight  we  made  sail,  with  the  jolly-boat  in  tow, 
and  stood  close-hauled  to  the  northward  and  westward, 
in  the  hope  of  reaching  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  or  of 
being  picked  up  by  some  vessel.  Passed  two  islands 
of  ice.  We  now  said  prayers,  and  returned  thanks  to 
God  for  our  deliverance." 

It  was  now  the  4th  July.  The  sufferings  of  those  in 
the  boats  became  excessive.  The  commander  of  the 
French  schooner  that  had  been  captured  went  mad,  and 
threw  himself  overboard.  One  of  the  French  prisoners 
became  so  outrageous  that  it  was  found  necessary  to 
lash  him  to  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 

At  last,  on  this  same  day,  the  4th  July,  after  seven 
days  of  dreadful  privation  and  incessant  storm,  they 
reached  Conception  Bay,  in  the  Avalon  Peninsula, 
Newfoundland.  They  had  been  reduced  to  a  quarter  of 
a  biscuit  per  diem  and  a  wine-glass  of  port  wine  and 
spirit,  and  then  of  water. 

Captain  Fellowes  says:  "Overpowered  by  my  own 
feelings,  and  impressed  with  the  recollections  of  our 
sufferings  and  the  sight  of  so  many  deplorable  objects,  I 
promised  to  offer  up  our  solemn  thanks  to  heaven  for  our 
miraculous  deliverance.  Every  one  cheerfully  assented, 
and  as  soon  as  I  opened  the  Prayer-book  there  was  an 
universal  silence.  A  spirit  of  devotion  was  singularly 
manifested  on  this  occasion,  and  to  the  benefits  of  a 
religious  sense  in  uncultivated  minds  must  be  ascribed 
that  discipline,  good  order,  and  exertion,  which  even 
the  sight  of  land  could  scarcely  produce. 

*'  The  wind  having  blown  with  great  violence  from 
off  the  coast,  we  did  not  reach  the  landing-place  at 
Island  Cove  till  four  o'clock  in  the  evening.  All  the 
women  and  children  in  the  village,  with  two  or  three 
fishermen  (the  rest  of  the  men    being   absent),    came 


266  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

down  to  the  beach,  and  appearing  deeply  affected  at 
our  wretched  situation,  assisted  in  carrying  us  up  the 
craggy  rocks,  over  which  we  were  obliged  to  pass  to 
get  to  their  habitations. 

''  The  small  village  afforded  neither  medical  aid  nor 
fresh  provisions,  of  which  we  stood  so  much  in  need, 
potatoes  and  salt  fish  being  the  only  food  of  the 
inhabitants.  I  determined,  therefore,  to  lose  no 
time  in  proceeding  to  S.  John's,  having  hired  a  small 
schooner  for  that  purpose.  On  the  7th  July  we 
embarked  in  three  divisions,  placing  the  most  infirm 
in  the  schooner,  the  master's  mate  being  in  charge  of 
the  cutter,  and  the  boatswain  of  the  jolly-boat ;  but 
such  was  the  exhausted  state  of  nearly  the  whole  party, 
that  the  day  was  considerably  advanced  before  we 
could  get  under  way. 

"Towards  dusk  it  came  on  to  blow  hard  in  squalls 
off  the  land,  when  we  lost  sight  of  the  cutter,  and  were 
obliged  to  come  to  anchor  outside  S.  John's  Harbour. 
We  were  under  great  apprehensions  for  the  cutter's 
safety,  as  she  had  no  grapnel,  and  lest  she  should  be 
driven  out  to  sea,  but  at  daylight  we  perceived  her  and 
the  schooner  entering  the  harbour. 

"The  ladies.  Colonel  Cooke,  Captain  Thomas,  and 
myself,  having  left  the  schooner  when  she  anchored, 
notwithstanding  the  badness  as  well  as  extreme  dark- 
ness of  the  night,  reached  the  shore  about  midnight. 
We  wandered  for  some  time  about  the  streets,  there 
being  no  house  open  at  that  late  hour,  but  were  at 
length  admitted  into  a  small  tenement,  where  we 
passed  the  remainder  of  the  night  on  chairs,  there 
being  but  one  miserable  bed  for  the  ladies.  Early  on 
the  following  day,  our  circumstances  being  made 
known,  hundreds  of  people  crowded  down  to  the  land- 
ing-place.     Nothing   could   exceed   their  surprise  on 


ADMIRAL  RICHARD  DARTON  THOMAS    267 

seeing  the  boats  that  had  carried  twenty-nine  persons 
such  a  distance  over  a  boisterous  sea,  and  when  they 
beheld  so  many  miserable  objects,  they  could  not  con- 
ceal their  emotions  of  pity  and  concern." 

It  was  found  that  the  greatest  circumspection  had  to 
be  used  in  administering  nourishment  to  those  who 
came  on  shore.  They  were  so  much  frost-bitten,  more- 
over, as  to  require  constant  surgical  assistance.  Many 
had  lost  their  toes,  and  they  were  constrained  to  remain 
at  S.  John's  till  they  were  in  a  fit  state  to  be  removed 
to  Halifax. 

On  the  nth  July  Captain  Fellowes,  with  Captain 
Thomas,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cooke,  engaged  the 
cabin  of  a  small  vessel,  bound  for  Oporto,  so  as  to 
return  to  England. 

When  Captain  Fellowes  sent  in  his  report  on  the 
loss  of  the  Lady  Hobart,  he  added  a  postscript:  "I 
regret  that,  in  the  hurry  of  drawing  up  this  narrative, 
I  should  have  omitted  to  make  particular  mention  of 
Captain  Richard  Thomas,  r.n.,  from  whose  great  pro- 
fessional skill  and  advice  throughout  our  perilous 
voyage  I  derived  the  greatest  assistance." 

In  December,  1803,  Captain  Thomas  commissioned 
the  ^t7ia  bomb,  and  soon  after  joined  the  fleet  under 
Lord  Nelson  in  the  Mediterranean  station,  where 
he  was  very  actively  employed  up  to  the  battle  of 
Trafalgar.  After  that  he  served  as  flag-captain  under 
his  old  friend  and  patron,  Lord  Collingwood. 

In  February,  181 1,  he  was  appointed  to  the  Undamited^ 
employed  in  co-operation  with  the  Spanish  patriots  off 
the  coast  of  Catalonia.  He  was  subsequently  employed 
in  command  of  a  squadron  stationed  in  the  Gulf  of 
Lyons,  blockading  Toulon.  He  was  made  Vice- 
Admiral  of  the  Blue  in  1848  ;  Admiral  of  the  Blue, 
1854;  Admiral  of  the  White,   1857,  in  which  year  he 


268  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

died,  and  was  buried  at  Stonehouse,  27th  August. 
He  married,  in  1827,  Gratiana,  daughter  of  Lieutenant- 
General  Richard  Williams,  r.n. 

His  brother,    Charles  Thomas,    m.d.,  was  for  some 
time  physician  to  the  Devonport  Dispensary. 


COMMANDER   JOHN    POLLARD 

LITTLE  did  John  Pollard  as  signal  midship- 
man of  the  Victory  in  the  battle  of  Trafalgar 
suppose  that  he  was  running  up  a  message 
■^  to  the  fleet  from  Nelson  that  would  never  be 
forgotten  so  long  as  the  English  name  lasts,  and  the 
Englishman  maintains  the  character  which  has  ever 
belonged  to  him. 

He  was  the  son  of  John  Pollard,  and  entered  the 
Navy  on  November  ist,  1797.  Before  the  battle  com- 
menced Nelson  dictated  the  signal,  ''England  confides 
that  every  man  will  do  his  duty."  Pollard,  to  whom 
the  order  was  given,  remarked  that  the  word  confides 
was  not  in  the  code,  and  suggested  in  its  stead  the 
term  expects^  which  Nelson  at  once  accepted.  Napoleon 
so  much  admired  this  last  order  of  Nelson's  that  he 
caused  it  to  be  printed,  with  a  difference,  of  France  for 
England,  and  commanded  that  a  copy  should  be  given 
to  each  of  the  officers  of  the  navy.  '*  It  is  the  best  of 
lessons,"  he  said. 

Pollard  was  born  at  Kingsand,  Cornwall,  on  27th 
July,  1787,  so  that  he  was  aged  but  eighteen  when 
he  suggested  the  alteration  in  Nelson's  famous  mes- 
sage, and  saw  it  signalled  to  the  fleet.  He  died  in  the 
Royal  Hospital,  Greenwich,  22nd  April,  1868,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-one.  He  did  nothing  further 
that  was  remarkable,  and  is  remembered  only  in  con- 
nection with  Nelson's  signal,  an  instance  of: — 

Unregarded  age  in  corners  thrown 
269 


THE  CASE    OF    BOSAVERN    PENLEZ 

yA  T  the  end  of  June,  1749,  a  sailor  was  robbed 
/^       in  a  low,  disreputable  house  in  the  Strand. 

r — ^  He  stormed  and  demanded  the  restoration 
^  ^^  of  his  purse,  but  could  obtain  no  redress  ; 
he  was  laughed  at  and  ejected  from  the  place.  He  at 
once  returned  to  his  vessel  and  narrated  his  wrongs, 
and  so  roused  the  resentment  of  his  comrades  that  they 
promised  to  accompany  him  to  the  Strand  and  work 
retribution  on  the  thieves. 

Accordingly  on  July  ist  a  body  of  them  marched  down 
the  Strand,  and  reaching  the  house  broke  in  the  door 
and  "  levell'd  their  rage  against  the  house  and  goods  of 
the  caitif,  whom  they  looked  on  as  the  author  of  the 
villainy  exercised  on  their  brother  Tar.  Accordingly 
they  went  to  work  as  if  they  were  breaking  up  a  ship, 
and  in  a  trice  unrigg'd  the  house  from  top  to  bottom. 
The  movables  were  thrown  out  of  the  windows  or  doors 
to  their  comrades  in  the  street,  where,  a  bonfire  being 
made,  they  were  burnt,  but  with  so  much  decency  and 
order,  so  little  confusion,  that  notwithstanding  the 
crowd  gather'd  together  on  this  occasion,  a  child  of  five 
years  old  might  have  crossed  the  street  in  the  thickest 
of  them  without  the  least  danger. 

"The  neighbours,  too,  though  their  houses  were 
not  absolutely  free  from  danger  of  fire  by  the  sparks 
flying  from  the  bonfire,  were  so  little  alarm'd  at  this 
riot  that  they  stood  at  their  doors,  and  look'd  out  of 
their  windows,  with  as  little  concern,  and  perhaps  more 

370 


THE  CASE  OF  BOSAVERN  PENLEZ  271 

glee  and  mirth,  than  if  they  had  been  at  a  droll  in 
Bartholomew  Fair,  seeing  the  painted  scene  of  the 
renoun'd  Troy  Town  in  flames."  After  the  house  had 
been  completely  gutted,  and  not  before,  the  guards 
came  from  the  Savoy,  which,  by  the  way,  was  not 
above  a  good  stone's  throw  from  the  scene  of  action, 
whereupon  the  sailors  withdrew,  unarrested  and  un- 
pursued.  If  matters  had  remained  here  it  would  have 
been  well,  but  unhappily  this  first  performance  whetted 
the  appetites  of  the  sailors  for  another,  and  they  resolved 
on  sacking  another  house  a  few  doors  from  that  they 
had  gutted,  which  also  did  not  bear  a  good  character. 

Accordingly  next  evening,  being  Sunday,  they  re- 
turned, and  proceeded  to  treat  this  second  house  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  first  ''  without  so  much  as  the  least 
interruption,  till  they  had  full  timely  notice  to  get  off 
before  the  guards  arrived,  who  came,  as  before,  too 
late,  that  one  would  have  been  tempted  to  imagine  they 
came  too  late  on  purpose. 

"A  regular  bonfire  then  having  been  made  as  before, 
all  the  goods  of  the  house  were  triumphantly  convey'd 
into  it ;  and  if  the  finding  of  bundles  and  effects  of  any 
of  the  actors  would  have  aggravated  their  guilt,  num- 
bers might  have  been  seized  with  the  goods  upon  them, 
between  the  house  and  the  bonfire,  where  they  were  all 
carefully  destroy'd,  to  avoid  any  slur  or  suspicion  of  pil- 
age  for  private  use.  This  was  carry'd  to  such  an  exact- 
ness that  a  little  boy,  who  perhaps  thought  no  great  harm 
to  save  a  gilt  cage  out  of  the  fire  for  his  bird  at  home, 
was  discover'd  carrying  it  off,  when  the  leaders  of  the 
mob  took  it  from  him  and  threw  it  into  the  fire,  and 
his  age  alone  protected  him  from  severe  punishment. 
Nothing,  in  short,  was  imbezzled  or  diverted,  except  an 
old  gown  or  petticoat,  thrown  at  a  hackney  coachman's 
head  as  a  reward  for  a  dutiful  Huzza,  as  he  drove  by. 


272  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

"  As  to  the  neighbours,  who  were  at  their  doors  and 
windows  seeing  the  whole  without  the  least  concern  or 
alarm,  there  was  not  probably  one  of  those  who,  though 
as  good  and  as  loyal  subjects  as  any  his  Majesty  has, 
and  as  well  affected  to  the  peace  and  quiet  of  his 
government,  imagin'd  or  dream'd  there  was  any  spirit 
of  sedition  or  riotous  designs  in  these  proceedings 
beyond  the  open  and  expressed  intention  of  destroying 
these  obnoxious  houses ;  and  tho'  the  coolest  and  sensi- 
blest  doubtless  thought  the  joke  was  going  too  far,  and 
wished  even  that  the  Government  had  interposed 
sooner,  and  less  faintly,  yet  they  had  not  the  least 
notion  of  any  such  extraordinary  measure  of  guilt  in 
their  proceedings  as  would  affect  life  or  limb." 

The  sailors  had  now  gathered  about  them,  some  as 
lookers  on,  some  as  assistants,  a  large  number  of  men 
and  boys,  and  these  now  moved  up  the  street  in  a  body, 
with  a  bell  ringing  before  them,  to  the  house  of  one 
Peter  Wood,  a  hairdresser,  but  in  bad  odour,  as  keep- 
ing a  disorderly  house,  under  the  sign  of  the  Star. 

Into  this  house  the  mob  broke,  although  Peter  Wood 
offered  money  if  only  they  would  spare  him  and  its 
contents.  But  they  were  deaf  to  his  entreaties,  and  his 
house  was  only  saved  by  the  arrival  of  the  guards,  who 
at  once  proceeded  to  arrest  several  persons.  Among 
those  they  secured  was  Bosavern  Penlez,  or  Penlees, 
son  of  a  clergyman  in  Cornwall,  who  had  been  put 
apprentice  to  a  wig-maker  in  town. 

With  him  were  secured  John  Wilson,  Benjamin 
Lander,  and  another,  who  shortly  after  died  of  gaol- 
fever  in  Newgate.  All  these  four,  not  one  of  whom 
was  a  sailor,  were  locked  up  in  prison,  and  kept  there 
till  the  September  Sessions,  when  they  were  indicted 
"for  that  they,  together  with  divers  other  persons,  to 
the  number  of  forty  and   upwards,   being   feloniously 


THE  CASE  OF  BOSAVERN  PENLEZ  273 

and  riotously  assembled,  to  the  disturbance  of  the 
public  peace,  did  begin  to  demolish  the  house  of  Peter 
Wood  against  the  form  of  the  statute  in  that  case 
made  and  provided,  July  the  3rd. 

Against  Lander,  Peter  Wood  swore  that  "  he  was  in 
the  passage  of  his  house,  assisting  to  break  the  parti- 
tion ;  that  that  was  the  first  time  of  his  seeing  him  ; 
that  he  broke  the  window  of  the  bar  with  his  stick  ;  that 
he  (Lander)  was  taken  upstairs." 

On  a  cross-examination  he  averred  that  he  did  not 
see  Lander  at  the  first  coming  up  of  the  mob  to  his 
house  ;  but  he  asserted  that  he  stuck  fast  to  him  when 
he  saw  him  in  the  passage,  which  was  half  an  hour 
before  the  arrival  of  the  guards. 

Peter  Wood's  wife  swore  that  Lander  had  knocked 
her  down,  and  had  beaten  her  almost  to  a  jelly. 

Lander,  in  his  defence,  proved  that  between  twelve 
and  one  o'clock  that  night  he  was  going  home  to  his 
lodgings,  when  he  heard  that  there  was  a  riot  in  the 
Strand  ;  and  that  meeting  with  a  soldier  who  had  been 
ordered  with  his  detachment  to  disperse  the  mob  in  the 
Strand,  he  persuaded  him  to  enter  with  him  into  a 
public-house  and  have  a  drink.  The  soldier  consented, 
and  then  left,  and  Lander  followed  to  see  the  fun,  and 
found  the  mob  retreating  to  Temple  Bar,  driven  for- 
ward by  the  guards.  Thereupon,  according  to  his  own 
account,  he  went  into  Peter  Wood's  house  to  see  what 
mischief  had  been  done,  when  Wood  laid  hold  of  him, 
under  the  notion  that  he  was  a  straggler  left  behind  of 
those  who  had  begun  to  wreck  the  house.  Happily  at 
that  moment  in  came  the  soldier  whom  Lander  had 
treated  to  a  pint  of  beer.  The  evidence  of  this  soldier 
was  conclusive,  and  Lander  was  discharged,  after 
having  suffered  imprisonment  for  over  two  months. 

It  appears  evident  that  Peter  Wood's  testimony  was 


274  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

false  ;  not  perhaps  purposely  so,  but  erroneous  through 
his  mistaking  one  man  for  another  in  the  excitement  of 
the  partial  destruction  of  his  house. 

The  evidence  he  gave  against  John  Wilson  was  that 
the  man  knocked  him  down,  and  that  Wilson,  stooping 
over  him,  asked,  "You  dog,  are  you  not  dead  yet?" 
and  that  he  caught  hold  of  Wilson's  hand  and  kissed  it 
and  prayed  for  mercy.  Moreover,  Mrs.  Wood  testified 
that  she  also  had  entreated  him  to  stay  his  hand,  and 
had  "held  him  by  the  face,  and  stroked  him."  The 
waiting-man  clinched  the  testimony  by  swearing  that 
he  also  had  seen  Wilson  in  the  parlour  as  the  settee- 
bed  was  being  thrown  out  of  the  window,  and  that  he 
(Wilson)  helped  to  throw  the  bed  out.  John  Wilson 
earnestly  protested  that  a  mistake  had  been  made,  and 
that  he  was  not  the  man  who  had  done  that  of  which  he 
was  accused.  He  brought  numerous  testimonies  to  his 
good  character  ;  but  these  availed  not,  and  he  was  con- 
demned to  death. 

Bosavern  Penlez  admitted  that  he  had  been  in  Peter 
Wood's  house  ;  he  had  been  rather  tipsy  at  the  time, 
and  had  been  drawn  in  to  follow  the  mob,  but  he  had 
done  no  mischief,  neither  had  he  joined  the  rabble  with 
any  evil  intent.  This  availed  not ;  he  also  was  con- 
demned to  death.  At  the  last  moment  Wilson  was 
reprieved  and  finally  pardoned  ;  but  poor  Bosavern  was 
hanged  at  Tyburn  on  the  i8th  October,  1749,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three. 

Much  feeling  had  been  roused  in  favour  of  Penlez, 
and  a  petition  had  been  got  up,  numerously  signed, 
requesting  that  he  might  be  pardoned  ;  but  it  availed 
nothing.  Then  a  pamphlet  appeared,  entitled,  The 
Case  of  the  Unfortunate  Bosavern  Penlez^  published 
by  T.  Clement,  S.  Paul's  Churchyard,  1749. 

As  this  was  widely  disseminated,  and  comments  were 


THE  CASE  OF  BOSAVERN  PENLEZ  275 

passed  that  a  grievous  injustice  had  been  committed, 
Henry  Fielding,  the  magistrate,  published  an  answer, 
entitled  A  True  State  of  the  Case  of  Bosavern  Penlez. 
A.  Miller,  Strand,  1749. 

According  to  this,  on  July  ist  the  house  of  one 
Owen,  in  the  Strand,  had  been  attacked.  Nathaniel 
Munns,  beadle,  had  tried  to  stop  it,  and  two  rioters 
were  taken  by  the  constables  and  conveyed  to  the 
prison  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster  Liberty.  On  Sunday, 
July  2nd,  there  was  a  recurrence  of  the  riot,  outside  the 
beadle's  house ;  the  windows  were  broken,  the  bars 
wrenched  away,  and  the  prisoners  were  released,  and 
doors  and  windows  of  the  watch-house  were  smashed. 

John  Carter,  constable,  gave  evidence  as  to  July  ist, 
that  two  wagon-loads  of  goods  had  been  consumed  by 
fire  outside  Owen's  house.  He  appealed  to  General 
Campbell,  at  Somerset  House,  for  assistance,  and  the 
General  sent  twelve  of  the  Guards,  when  the  rioters 
retreated,  and  began  an  attack  on  the  house  of  one 
Stanhope,  throwing  stones,  breaking  windows,  and 
pelting  the  soldiers,  so  that  soon  forty  men  of  the 
Guards  had  to  be  despatched  to  disperse  the  rioters. 

On  Sunday,  July  2nd,  according  to  the  constable, 
the  mob  again  assembled  in  front  of  Stanhope's  house 
and  demolished  its  contents.  Mr.  Wilson,  a  woollen 
draper,  and  Mr.  Actor,  of  the  same  trade,  applied 
for  protection,  as  their  shops  adjoined  the  house  of 
Stanhope,  and  again  soldiers  were  sent  for,  who  dis- 
persed the  mob. 

James  Cecil,  Constable  of  St.  George's  parish,  de- 
posed that  on  Monday,  July  3rd,  he  was  attending 
prisoners  in  a  coach  to  Newgate,  and  he  had  difficulty 
in  making  his  way  through  the  mob  ;  and  he  saw  the 
rioters  engaged  in  smashing  the  windows  of  a  house 
near  the  Old  Bailey. 


276  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Saunders  Welsh,  gent.,  High  Constable  of  Holborn, 
deposed  that  on  Sunday,  July  2nd,  he  had  received 
information  from  Stanhope,  as  to  the  wrecking  of  Owen's 
house  on  the  previous  night,  and  of  his  fears  for  his 
own.  On  returning  that  same  evening  through  Fleet 
Street,  he  perceived  a  great  fire  in  the  Strand,  upon 
which  he  proceeded  to  the  house  of  Peter  Wood,  who 
informed  him  that  the  rioters  had  demolished  the  house 
of  Stanhope,  burning  his  furniture  and  goods,  and 
that  they  threatened  to  deal  in  the  same  manner  with 
his  house.  Whereupon,  he,  Mr.  Saunders  Welsh, 
applied  at  the  Tilt-yard  for  a  military  force,  which  he 
could  only  obtain  with  much  difficulty,  as  he  could 
produce  no  order  from  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  At 
length  he  procured  such  order,  and  then  an  officer 
and  forty  men  were  sent  to  the  scene  of  the  riot.  On 
reaching  Cecil  Street,  he  ordered  that  the  drum  should 
be  beaten.  When  he  came  up  to  Peter  Wood's  house, 
he  found  that  the  mob  had  already  in  part  demolished 
it,  and  had  thrown  a  great  part  of  its  contents  into  the 
street,  and  were  debating  about  burning  them.  Had 
they  done  so,  the  deponent  said,  it  would  infallibly 
have  set  fire  to  the  houses  on  both  sides  of  the  street, 
which  at  that  point  was  very  narrow,  and  opposite 
Wood's  house  was  the  bank  of  Messrs.  Snow  and 
Denne.  Hearing,  however,  the  rattle  of  the  drum, 
and  the  tramp  of  the  advancing  soldiers,  the  mob 
retreated,  and  it  was  whilst  so  retreating  that  Bosavern 
Penlez  was  arrested,  carrying  off  with  him  some  of 
the  goods  of  Peter  Wood. 

Penlez  and  others  were  brought  before  Henry 
Fielding,  J. P.  for  Middlesex,  and  were  committed  to 
Newgate.  This  was  on  Monday.  But  the  same  even- 
ing there  was  a  recrudescence  of  the  riots,  and  four 
thousand   sailors   assembled   on  Tower   Hill  with    the 


THE  CASE  OF  BOSAVERN  PENLEZ  277 

resolution  to  march  to  Temple  Bar.  To  obviate  all 
future  danger,  a  larger  party  of  soldiers  was  called 
out,  and  these,  along  with  the  peace  officers,  patrolled 
the  Strand  all  night. 

Samuel  Marsh,  watchman  of  St.  Dunstan's,  had 
apprehended  Bosavern  Penlez,  as  he  was  making  off 
with  a  bundle  of  linen,  which  he  pretended  belonged 
to  his  wife.  Before  he  was  arrested,  the  watchman 
saw  him  thrusting  divers  lace  objects  into  his  bosom 
and  pockets,  but  he  let  fall  a  lace  cap.  When  appre- 
hended, he  protested  that  he  was  conveying  his  wife's 
property,  who  had  pawned  all  his  clothes,  and  that  he 
was  retaliating  by  taking  her  articles  to  pawn. 

There  were  other  witnesses  against  Penlez,  and 
although  the  evidence  of  Peter  Wood  was  worthless, 
that  of  the  beadles  and  watchmen  sufficed  to  show 
that  he  had  been  collecting  and  making  into  a  bundle 
various  articles  from  Wood's  house,  with  the  object 
of  purloining  them.  The  question  of  Penlez  having 
been  in  Wood's  house  was  not  gone  into.  Bosavern 
in  vain  called  for  witnesses  to  his  character.  His 
master,  the  peruke  maker,  declined  to  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance and  give  favourable  testimony  ;  for,  in  fact, 
Penlez  had  been  leading  a  dissipated  and  disorderly 
life.  Henry  Fielding,  in  conclusion,  says  :  "The  first 
and  second  day  of  the  riot,  no  magistrate,  nor  any 
other  higher  peace-officer  than  a  petty  constable  (save 
only  Mr.  Welsh)  interfered  in  it.  On  the  third  day 
only  one  magistrate  took  on  him  to  act.  When  the 
prisoners  were  committed  to  Newgate,  no  public  prose- 
cution was  for  some  time  ordered  against  them  ;  and 
when  it  was  ordered,  it  was  carried  on  so  mildly,  that 
one  of  the  prisoners  (Wilson)  being  not  in  prison, 
was,  though  contrary  to  the  laws,  at  the  desire  of  a 
noble  person  in  great  power,  bailed  out,  when  a  capital 


278  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

indictment  was  then  found  against  him.  At  the  trial, 
neither  an  Attorney  nor  Solicitor-General,  nor  even 
one  of  the  King's  Council,  appeared  against  the 
prisoners.  Lastly,  when  two  were  convicted,  one  only 
was  executed  ;  and  I  doubt  very  much  whether  even 
he  would  have  suffered,  had  it  not  appeared  that  a 
capital  indictment  for  burglary  was  likewise  found  by 
the  Grand  Jury  against  him,  and  upon  such  evidence 
as  I  think  every  impartial  man  must  allow  would  have 
convicted  him  (had  he  been  tried)  for  felony  at  least." 

There  had  been  found  on  Penlez  ten  lace  caps,  four 
laced  handkerchiefs,  three  pairs  of  laced  ruffles,  two 
laced  clouts,  five  plain  handkerchiefs,  five  plain  aprons, 
one  laced  apron,  all  the  property  of  the  wife  of  Peter 
Wood.  It  was  altogether  false  that  Penlez  was  mar- 
ried. Fielding  says  :  "I  hope  I  have  said  enough  to 
prove  that  the  man  who  was  made  an  example  of 
deserved  his  fate.  Which,  if  he  did,  I  think  it  will 
follow  that  more  hath  been  said  and  done  in  his  favour 
than  ought  to  have  been  ;  and  that  the  clamour  of 
severity  against  the  Government  hath  been  in  the 
highest  degree  unjustifiable.  To  say  the  truth,  it 
would  be  more  difficult  to  justify  the  lenity  used  on 
this  occasion." 

The  case  of  Bosavern  Penlez  was  the  more  hard 
and  open  to  criticism,  in  that,  in  the  very  same  year, 
there  was  a  serious  riot  in  the  Haymarket  Theatre, 
when  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  a  prince  of  the  blood, 
had  drawn  his  sword,  and  leaping  upon  the  stage,  had 
called  on  everybody  to  follow  him.  The  people,  ripe 
for  mischief,  were  too  loyal  to  decline  a  prince's  invita- 
tion. The  seats  were  smashed,  the  scenery  torn  down, 
and  the  wreckage  carried  into  the  street,  where  a  bon- 
fire was  made  of  it ;  and  but  for  the  timely  appearance 
of  the  authorities  the  building  itself  would  have  been 


THE  CASE  OF  BOSAVERN  PENLEZ  279 

added  to  the  fuel.  For  this,  no  one  was  hanged. 
What  was  sauce  for  the  goose  was  not  sauce  for  the 
gander. 

Reference  is  made  to  the  case  of  Bosavern  Penlez  in 
Walpole's  Memoirs  of  the  Last  Ten  Years  of  George  Ily 
I,  p.  II,  and  in  the  Private  Journal  of Johii  Byrom^  pub- 
lished by  the  Chetham  Society,  as  also  in  the  Gentle- 
man's Magazine  for  1749. 


SAMUEL  FOOTE 

THIS  dramatic  author  and  player  was  born  at 
Truro  in  the  year  1721.^  His  father,  John 
Foote,  was  a  magistrate  of  the  county  of 
Cornwall  and  commissioner  of  the  Prize 
office  and  Fine  contract.  He  was  well  descended, 
deriving  from  the  family  of  Foote  of  Trelogorsick, 
in  Veryan,  afterwards  of  Lambesso,  in  S.  Clements, 
acquired  by  bequest  in  the  reign  of  Charles  H. 
The  arms  of  the  family  were,  vert  a  chevron 
between  three  doves  argent — the  doves  singularly 
inappropriate  as  the  cognizance  of  Samuel,  as  that 
bird  was  deemed  to  be  without  gall.  Bodannan, 
in  S.  Enoder,  was  acquired  by  the  Footes  of  Lam- 
besso by  purchase.  The  family  did  not  register  its 
arms  and  establish  its  pedigree  at  the  visitation  of  the 
Heralds  in  1620,  but  that  it  was  gentle  admits  of 
no  dispute.  As  no  pedigree  of  the  family  has  been 
recorded,  it  is  unknown  who  was  the  grandfather  of 
Samuel  Foote,  but  possibly  he  may  have  been  the 
Samuel  Foote  of  Tiverton  whose  daughter  Eliza- 
beth married,  1691,  Dennis  Glyn  of  Cardinham,  son 
of  Nicolas  Glyn  of  Cardinham,  M.P.  for  Bodmin  and 
Sheriff  of  Cornwall.  Samuel's  mother,  descended  in 
the  female  line  from  the  Earls  of  Rutland,  was  daughter 
of  Sir  Edward  Goodere,  Bart.,  who  had  two  surviving 
brothers  out  of  six — Sir  John  Dinely  Goodere,  Bart., 
and  Samuel  Goodere,  captain  of    His   Majesty's   ship 

'   Baptized  S.  Mary's,  Truro,  Jan.  27th,  1 720-1. 
280 


■^^ 


SAMUEL    FOOTE  281 

Ruby.  A  disagreement  having  arisen  between  the  two 
brothers,  Sir  John  cut  off  the  entail  of  his  estates  and 
settled  them  on  his  sister's  family.  This  widened  the 
breach,  and  the  brothers  had  not  spoken  for  years. 

Matters  were  in  this  train  when,  by  accident,  both 
brothers  met  in  Bristol  in  the  January  of  1741.  Samuel 
was  then  in  command  of  his  ship,  lying  in  the  roads. 
Sir  John  was  invited  to  dine  with  Mr.  Jarrit  Smith,  an 
attorney  living  on  College  Green,  and  the  captain 
called  on  this  gentleman  and  requested  permission  to 
be  admitted  to  his  table  to  meet  his  brother,  whom  he 
had  not  seen  for  a  very  long  time.  Mr.  Smith  readily 
acceded  to  this  proposal,  and  was  glad  to  have  the 
opportunity  of  apparently  reconciling  the  brothers. 
After  dinner  he  left  the  room  for  an  hour  in  order  to 
afford  them  a  better  opportunity  of  completing  the 
reconciliation.  On  his  return  he  found  them  on  the 
most  friendly  terms.  In  this  manner  they  parted  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  captain  taking  his  leave 
first.  When  some  half  an  hour  later  Sir  John  quitted 
the  house,  as  he  was  passing  the  College  Green  Coffee- 
house, on  his  way  to  his  lodgings,  he  was  fallen  upon 
by  a  party  of  the  sailors  of  the  Riihy  and  the  Vernon 
privateer,  with  Captain  Goodere  at  their  head  ;  a  cloak 
was  thrown  over  his  head  to  muffle  his  cries  for  help, 
and  he  was  hurried  to  a  boat,  awaiting  them  in  the 
river,  and  conveyed  thence  on  board  the  Ruby.  When 
there,  they  got  him  into  the  purser's  cabin,  and  the 
captain,  by  promises  of  ample  reward,  induced  two  of 
his  sailors,  Matthew  Mahony  and  Charles  White,  to 
strangle  him.  In  order  to  effect  this  the  captain  cut  the 
cord  that  attached  his  escritoire  to  the  floor  of  the  cabin, 
and  himself  passed  it  round  his  brother's  neck.  Then, 
drawing  his  sword,  he  stood  sentinel  at  the  door  and 
bade  the  two  ruffians  do    their  duty.      Owing  to  the 


282  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

struggles  of  Sir  John  and  the  nervousness  of  the  men, 
half  an  hour  elapsed  before  the  baronet  was  dead.  At 
last,  when  all  was  over,  the  captain  deliberately  walked 
to  his  brother's  body,  held  a  candle  over  it  to  assure 
himself  that  he  was  dead,  and  exclaimed,  *' Aye,  this 
will  do  ;  his  business  is  now  done." 

Next  day  the  circumstance  of  a  gentleman  having 
been  kidnapped  on  College  Green  induced  Mr.  Smith 
to  make  inquiries  ;  when,  finding  that  the  description 
of  the  gentleman  answered  to  the  person  of  Sir  John 
Dinely  Goodere,  he  entertained  strong  suspicions  of 
foul  play  shown  by  his  brother,  and  he  applied  to  the 
mayor  of  Bristol  for  a  warrant  to  search  the  Ruby. 
This  was  granted,  and  there  the  baronet  was  found 
strangled  in  the  purser's  cabin,  and  the  captain  already 
secured  by  the  first  lieutenant  and  two  of  the  men,  who 
had  overheard  the  conference  relative  to  the  murder. 

Captain  Samuel  Goodere  and  his  two  associates  were 
tried  at  the  next  assizes  at  Bristol  on  March  26th,  1741, 
were  found  guilty  of  "wilful  murder,"  and  were  hanged. 

Thus  Mrs.  Foote,  deriving  under  the  will  of  her 
brother  Sir  John,  became  heiress  to  his  estates. 

John  Foote  had  two  sons  by  this  lady,  Samuel  and 
Edward.  The  first,  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was 
designed  for  the  Bar ;  the  second  for  the  Church. 
This  latter  was  a  feeble-minded  man,  who  never 
obtained  preferment,  dribbled  away  his  fortune,  and 
was  latterly  in  great  distress,  supported  by  the 
liberality  of  his  brother. 

Foote  was  sent  to  school  as  a  boy  under  the  worthy  Mr. 
Conon,  head-master  of  Truro  Grammar  School.  There 
he  was  initiated  into  Terence's  plays,  and  in  acting  his 
part  excelled  all  his  schoolfellows,  and  it  was  in  con- 
sequence of  his  success  within  this  little  circle  that  he 
caught  his  first  inspiration  for  the  stage. 


SAMUEL   FOOTE  283 

One  of  the  earliest  instances  of  his  jocularity,  as 
practised  on  his  own  father,  is  related  by  R.  Polwhele 
in  his  Traditions  and  Recollections.  Imitating  the 
voice  of  Mr.  Nicholas  Donnithorne,  from  an  inner 
apartment  where  his  father  had  supposed  that  gentle- 
man was  sitting,  he  drew  his  father  into  conversation 
on  the  subject  of  a  family  transaction  between  the  two 
old  gentlemen,  and  thus  possessed  himself  of  a  secret, 
which,  whilst  it  displayed  his  power  of  mimicry,  justly 
incurred  his  parent's  displeasure. 

Mr.  Polwhele  says:  ''Those  (of  the  inhabitants  of 
Truro)  are  gone  who  used  in  his  presence  to  arise 
trembling  with  their  mirth.  Conscious  of  some  odd- 
nesses  in  their  appearance  or  character,  they  shrunk 
from  his  sly  observation.  They  knew  that  every 
civility,  every  hospitable  attention,  could  not  save 
them  from  his  satire ;  and,  after  such  experience, 
they  naturally  avoided  his  company  instead  of  courting 
it.  Foote,  indeed,  had  no  restraint  upon  himself,  with 
respect  either  to  his  conversation  or  his  conduct.  He 
was,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  a  libertine.  .  .  . 
He  was  certainly  a  very  unamiable  character.  Polly 
Hicks,  a  pretty,  silly,  simpering  girl,  was  dazzled  by 
his  wit.  She  had  some  property  ;  he  therefore  made 
her  his  wife,  but  never  treated  her  as  such." 

The  father  died  soon  after  the  establishment  of  his  sons 
in  their  several  professions;  but  the  mother  lived  to  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-four.    W.  Cooke  says  of  her: — 

"We  had  the  pleasure  of  dining  with  her,  in 
company  with  a  granddaughter  of  hers,  at  a  barrister's 
chambers  in  Gray's  Inn,  when  she  was  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  ;  and  although  she  had  full  sixty  steps 
to  ascend  before  she  reached  the  drawing-room,  she 
did  it  without  the  help  of  a  cane,  and  with  all  the 
activity  of  a  woman  of  forty. 


284  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

"  Her  manners  and  conversation  were  of  the  same 
cast — witty,  humorous,  and  convivial  ;  and  though  her 
remarks  occasionally  (considering  her  age  and  sex) 
rather  strayed  beyond  the  limits  of  becoming  mirth, 
she,  on  the  whole,  delighted  everybody,  and  was  con- 
fessedly the  heroine  of  that  day's  party. 

"She  was  likewise  in  face  and  person  the  very 
model  of  her  son  Samuel — short,  fat,  and  flabby,  with 
an  eye  that  eternally  gave  the  signal  for  mirth  and 
good  humour  ;  in  short,  she  resembled  him  so  much 
in  all  her  movements,  and  so  strongly  identified  his 
person  and  manners,  that  by  changing  habits  they 
might  be  thought  to  have  interchanged  sexes." 

After  leaving  school  Samuel  Foote  received  his  edu- 
cation at  Worcester  College,  Oxford,  formerly  Glouces- 
ter Hall,  which  owed  its  refoundation  and  change  of  name 
to  Sir  Thomas  Cooke,  Bart.,  a  second  cousin  of  Samuel. 

The  church  connected  with  the  college  fronted  a  lane, 
where  cattle  were  sometimes  turned  out  to  graze  during 
the  night,  and  the  bell-rope  hung  very  low  in  the  middle 
of  the  outside  porch.  Foote  one  night  made  a  loop  in 
the  cord  and  inserted  a  wisp  of  hay.  One  of  the  cows 
smelling  this  seized  it,  and  by  tugging  at  the  rope 
made  the  bell  ring,  and  continue  to  ring  at  jerky  in- 
tervals till  the  hay  was  consumed.  This  produced 
consternation  in  the  neighbourhood  ;  people  ran  out  of 
their  houses  thinking  that  there  must  be  a  fire  some- 
where. The  same  happened  next  and  the  following 
nights,  and  it  was  concluded  that  the  church  was 
haunted.  But  Dr.  Gower,  the  then  provost,  and  the 
sexton  sat  up  one  night  and  watched,  and  discovered 
that  this  was  a  prank  of  one  of  the  scholars. 

From  the  University  Foote  was  removed  to  the 
Temple,  but  the  dryness  of  the  law  was  not  to  his 
taste,  and  he  turned  to  the  stage. 


SAMUEL    FOOTE  285 

His  first  appearance  was  in  the  part  of  Othello  at 
the  Haymarket  Theatre,  February  6th,  1747.  But  as 
Macklin  said  on  this  occasion,  "it  was  little  better 
than  a  total  failure.  Neither  his  figure,  voice,  nor 
manners  corresponded  with  the  character  ;  and  in  those 
mixed  passages  of  tenderness  and  rage  the  former  was 
expressed  so  whiningly,  and  the  latter  in  a  tone  so 
sharp  and  inharmonious,  that  the  audience  could  scarcely 
refrain  from  laughing." 

Probably  he  speedily  saw  that  his  genius  did  not  lie 
in  the  direction  of  tragedy,  and  he  soon  struck  out  into 
a  new  and  untrodden  path,  in  which  he  at  once  attained 
the  two  great  ends  of  affording  entertainment  to  the 
people  and  gaining  emolument  for  himself.  He  opened 
the  Haymarket  Theatre  in  the  spring  of  1747  with  a 
piece  of  his  own  writing,  entitled  The  Diversioris  of  the 
Morning.  This  consisted  of  a  mimicry  of  the  best- 
known  men  of  the  day — actors,  doctors,  lawyers,  states- 
men. Had  he  contented  himself  with  this  he  might 
not  have  been  interfered  with,  but  to  the  piece  of 
mimicry  he  added  the  performance  of  popular  farces 
— and  he  had  failed  to  procure  a  licence.  To  evade 
this  difficulty  he  announced  his  entertainment  as  a 
Concert  of  Music,  after  which  would  be  given  gratis 
his  Diversions  and  a  play. 

The  managers  of  the  patent  houses  could  not  tolerate 
such  an  infringement  of  their  rights.  They  appealed 
to  the  Westminster  magistrates,  and  on  the  second 
night  the  constables  entered  the  theatre  and  dispersed 
the  audience. 

But  Foote  was  not  so  easily  put  down.  The  very 
next  morning  he  published  the  following  statement  in 
the  General  Advertiser:  "On  Saturday  afternoon, 
exactly  at  twelve  o'clock,  at  the  New  Theatre  in  the 
Haymarket,  Mr.  Foote  begs  the  favour  of  his  friends 


286  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

to  come  and  drink  a  dish  of  chocolate  with  him,  and 
'tis  hoped  there  will  be  a  great  deal  of  company  and 
some  joyous  spirits.  He  will  endeavour  to  make  the 
morning  as  diverting  as  possible.  Tickets  to  be  had 
for  this  entertainment  at  George's  Coffee  House,  Temple 
Bar,  without  which  no  one  will  be  admitted.  N.B. — 
Sir  Dilbury  Diddle  will  be  there,  and  Lady  Betty  Frisk 
has  absolutely  promised."  No  one  knew  what  this 
advertisement  meant,  and  a  crowded  house  was  the 
natural  result.  When  the  curtain  rose  Foote  came 
forward  and  informed  the  audience  that  ''as  he  was 
training  some  young  performers  for  the  stage,  he 
would,  with  their  permission,  whilst  chocolate  was 
getting  ready,  proceed  with  his  instructions  before 
them."  Then  some  young  people,  engaged  for  the 
purpose,  were  brought  upon  the  stage,  and  under  the 
pretence  of  instructing  them  in  the  art  of  acting,  he 
introduced  his  imitations. 

As  he  was  not  interfered  with,  he  changed  the  hour 
to  the  evening  and  substituted  tea  for  chocolate. 

He  mimicked  Quin  as  a  watchman,  with  deep, 
sonorous  voice  calling  out,  "Past  twelve  o'clock,  and 
a  cloudy  morning";  Delane  as  a  one-eyed  beggar; 
Peg  Woffington  as  an  orange  girl,  and  imitated  the 
unpleasant  squealing  tone  of  her  voice  ;  Garrick  in  his 
dying  scenes,  on  which  he  prided  himself. 

As  may  well  be  supposed,  actors,  who  are  peculiarly 
sensitive  to  ridicule,  were  offended.  When  they  ap- 
peared in  a  grave  play,  as  for  instance,  when  Garrick 
was  dying  on  the  stage,  the  audience  laughed,  recalling 
what  they  had  witnessed  at  the  Haymarket.  They 
complained,  "What  is  fun  to  you  is  death  to  us,"  but 
Foote  paid  no  regard  to  their  remonstrances ;  he  laughed 
and  pursued  his  course.  He  was  perfectly  unscrupulous, 
wholly  devoid  of  delicacy  of  feeling,  and  would  turn  his 


SAMUEL   FOOTE  287 

best  friend  and  benefactor  into  ridicule  in  public.  But 
when,  later,  Weston  took  him  off,  he  was  highly  in- 
censed, and  bided  his  time  to  be  revenged  on  him. 

Next  year  Foote  called  his  performance  ''An  Auction 
of  Pictures."  Here  is  one  of  his  advertisements  :  "  At 
the  forty-ninth  day's  sale  at  his  auction  rooms  in  the 
Haymarket  Mr.  Foote  will  exhibit  a  choice  collection 
of  pictures — some  new  lots,  consisting  of  a  poet,  a 
beau,  a  Frenchman,  a  miser,  a  taylor,  a  sot,  two  young 
gentlemen,  and  a  ghost.  Two  of  which  are  originals, 
the  rest  copies  from  the  best  masters."  In  this  several 
well-known  characters  were  mimicked — Sir  Thomas 
Deveil,  then  the  acting  magistrate  for  Westminster, 
Cook,  the  auctioneer,  and  orator  Henley.  To  the 
attractions  of  his  "  Auction,"  in  ridicule  of  the  Italian 
Opera,  he  gave  a  "Cat  Concert."  The  principal  per- 
former in  this  was  a  man  well  known  at  the  time  by 
the  name  of  Cat  Harris.  Harris  had  attended  several 
rehearsals,  where  his  mewing  gave  great  satisfaction 
to  the  manager  and  performers.  However,  on  the  last 
rehearsal  Harris  was  missing,  and  as  nobody  knew 
where  he  lived,  Shuter  was  deputed  to  find  him,  if 
possible.  He  inquired  in  vain  for  some  time  ;  at  last 
he  was  informed  that  he  lived  in  a  certain  court  in  the 
Minories,  but  at  which  house  he  could  not  exactly 
learn.  Shuter  entered  the  court  and  set  up  a  cat  solo, 
which  instantly  roused  his  brother  musician  in  his 
garret,  who  answered  him  in  the  same  tune.  "Ho, 
ho  !  Are  you  there,  my  friend?"  said  Shuter.  "  Come 
along  ;  the  stage  waits  for  you." 

Fashion,  as  usual,  flocked  to  the  Haymarket  to  hear 
and  see  its  tastes  turned  into  ridicule. 

At  the  close  of  the  season  (1748)  Foote  was  left  a 
considerable  fortune  by  a  relative  of  his  mother,  which 
enabled  him  to  move  in  all  that  luxury  of  dissipation 


288  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

which  was  so  congenial  to  his  temper.  Then  he 
departed  suddenly  for  Paris  and  communicated  with 
none  of  his  friends.  Some  supposed  him  to  have  been 
killed  in  a  duel,  some  that  he  had  been  hanged,  some 
that  he  had  drunk  himself  to  death.  But  he  reappeared 
in  London  at  the  close  of  the  season  of  1752,  having 
dissipated  the  fortune  left  him,  but  having  enriched 
his  mind  with  studies  made  in  France.  He  brought 
with  him  a  play  he  had  composed,  The  Englishmati  in 
PanSy  which  was  brought  out  at  Covent  Garden 
Theatre  on  March  24th,  1753,  and  it  proved  a  success  ; 
so  much  so,  that  Murphy,  the  dramatic  author,  wrote 
a  sequel  to  it.  The  Englishman  returned  from  Paris, 
which  he  had  the  frankness  to  show  to  Foote,  who  was 
his  friend.  Foote,  without  a  word,  without  asking 
leave,  appropriated  the  plot  and  characters,  and  turned 
out  a  farce  with  the  same  title  before  Murphy  had 
placed  his.  Murphy  was,  naturally,  highly  offended, 
and  produced  his  play  in  another  theatre,  but  without 
great  success,  as  Foote's  play  had  already  taken  with 
the  public. 

In  the  season  of  1757  Foote  produced  at  Drury  Lane 
his  comedy  of  The  Author,  that  principally  turns  on 
the  distresses  incident  to  a  writer  dependent  on  his  pen 
for  his  daily  bread,  and  on  the  caricature  of  a  gentle- 
man of  family  and  fortune,  whom  he  entitled  Cad- 
walader,  who  appears  ambitious  to  be  thought  a  patron 
of  the  arts  and  sciences,  of  which  he  is  profoundly 
ignorant.  Cadwalader  was  a  caricature  of  one  of  his 
most  intimate  friends,  a  Mr.  Ap  Rice,  a  man  of  fortune 
and  education,  and  allied  to  many  families  of  distinc- 
tion. At  his  table,  where  Foote  was  hospitably  received, 
in  open  and  unguarded  familiar  discourse,  Ap  Rice 
had  laid  himself  open  to  ridicule.  The  Welsh  gentle- 
man was  stout,  had  a  broad,  unmeaning  stare,  a  loud 


SAMUEL    FOOTE  289 

voice,  and  boisterous  manner,  and  as  he  spoke  his 
head  was  continually  turning  to  his  left  shoulder. 
The  farce  was  performed  for  several  nights  to  crowded 
audiences  before  Mr.  Ap  Rice  felt  the  keenness  of  the 
satire.  At  last  the  joke  became  so  serious,  that  when- 
ever he  went  abroad,  in  the  park,  the  coffee-house,  or 
the  assembly,  he  heard  himself  spoken  of  as  Cad- 
walader,  and  pointed  at  with  suppressed  laughter,  or 
heard  quotations  from  his  part  in  the  play:  "This  is 
Becky,  my  dear  Becky."  Mightily  offended,  and 
really  hurt,  he  applied  to  Foote  to  have  the  piece  sup- 
pressed. But  this  Foote  would  not  hear  of — it  was 
drawing  crowded  houses.  Then  Ap  Rice  applied  to 
the  Lord  Chamberlain  and  obtained  an  injunction  to 
restrain  the  performance. 

Dr.  Johnson  was  informed  by  a  mutual  friend  that 
Foote  was  going  to  produce  an  impersonation  of 
him  on  the  stage.  "What  is  the  price  of  a  cane?" 
asked  the  doctor.  "Sixpence."  "Then,"  said  he,  "here 
is  a  shilling  ;  go  and  fetch  me  the  stoutest  you  can 
purchase,  and  tell  Mr.  Foote  that  at  his  first  perform- 
ance I  shall  visit  the  theatre,  go  on  the  stage,  and 
thrash  him  soundly." 

This  was  repeated  to  the  mimic,  and  he  deemed  it 
advisable  to  desist  from  this  impersonation. 

In  A  Trip  to  Calais  he  threatened  to  ridicule  the 
notorious  Duchess  of  Kingston  unless  bought  off.  The 
audacity  of  his  personalities  was  astounding,  where 
he  thought  he  could  use  his  gift  of  mimicry  without 
being  subject  to  chastisement.  In  the  Orators^  1762, 
he  personated,  under  the  name  of  Peter  Paragraph, 
a  noted  printer  and  publisher  and  alderman  of  Dublin, 
known  as  One-legged  Faulkener.  The  imitation  was 
perfect.  The  Irishman  brought  an  action  for  libel 
against  him,  and  a  trial  ensued.  But  Nemesis  of 
u 


290  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

another  sort  fell  on  him  four  years  later.  In  1766  he 
was  on  a  visit  to  Lord  Mexborough,  where  he  met  the 
Duke  of  York,  Lord  Delaval,  and  others,  when  some 
of  the  party,  wishing  to  have  a  little  fun  with  Foote, 
drew  him  into  conversation  on  horsemanship,  and  the 
comedian  boasted  "that  although  he  generally  pre- 
ferred the  luxury  of  a  post-chaise,  he  could  ride  as  well 
as  most  men  he  knew."  He  was  urged  to  join  that 
morning  in  the  chase,  and  was  mounted  on  a  high- 
spirited,  mettlesome  horse  belonging  to  the  Duke  of 
York,  that  flung  him  as  soon  as  he  was  in  the  saddle, 
and  his  leg  was  so  fractured  that  it  had  to  be  amputated, 
and  its  place  supplied  by  one  of  cork. 

The  Duke  of  York  was  not  a  little  concerned  at  the 
part  he  had  taken  in  this  practical  joke,  and  to  make 
what  amends  he  could  obtained  for  him  a  royal  patent 
to  erect  a  theatre  in  the  city  and  liberties  of  West- 
minster, from  the  14th  May  to  the  14th  September, 
during  the  term  of  his  natural  life.  This  was  giving 
him  a  fortune  at  one  stroke,  and  Foote  immediately 
purchased  the  old  premises  in  the  Haymarket  and 
erected  a  new  theatre  on  the  same  ground,  which  was 
opened  in  the  May  following,  1767.  He  made  con- 
siderable profits,  and  lodged  twelve  hundred  pounds 
at  his  banker's  and  kept  five  hundred  in  cash. 

But  his  usual  demon  of  extravagance  haunted  him. 
He  went  to  Bath  and  fell  in  with  a  nest  of  gamblers, 
who  rapidly  swindled  him,  not  only  out  of  his  five 
hundred,  but  also  out  of  the  sum  he  had  placed  with 
his  banker.  Several  of  the  frequenters  of  the  rooms 
saw  that  he  was  being  cheated,  and  the  Right  Hon. 
Richard  Rigby,  Paymaster  of  the  Forces,  took  an 
opportunity  of  telling  him  that  he  was  being  plundered, 
"  that  from  his  careless  manner  of  playing  and  betting, 
and    his   habit    of  telling   stories  when   he  should   be 


SAMUEL    FOOTE  291 

minding  his  game,  he  must  in  the  long  run  be  ruined." 
Foote,  instead  of  taking  this  hint  in  good  part, 
answered  angrily  and  so  insultingly  that  Rigby  with- 
drew. 

When  he  had  money  he  spent  it  in  play  and  pro- 
fligacy. Three  fortunes  had  been  left  him,  and  he 
threw  all  away,  and  adopted  as  his  motto,  ''Iterum, 
iterum,  iterumque." 

His  mother,  as  has  been  said,  had  inherited  a  large 
fortune,  but  she  had  squandered  it  and  was  locked  up 
in  the  Fleet  Prison  for  debt.  Thence  she  wrote  to  her 
son  : — 

*'  Dear  Sam, 

'*  I  am  in  prison  for  debt ;  come  and  assist  your 

loving  mother,  ..t-    t-  >, 

^  '  "  E.  Foote." 

To  this  brief  note  he  replied  : — 

''  Dear  Mother, 

'*  So  am  I  ;  which  prevents  his  duty  being  paid 
to  his  loving  mother  by  her  affectionate  son, 

"Sam.  Foote." 

When  bringing  out  his  comedy  of  The  Minor  con- 
siderable objections  were  started  to  its  being  licensed, 
and  among  other  objectors  was  Seeker,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury.  Foote  offered  to  submit  the  play  to  him 
for  revision,  with  permission  to  strike  out  whatever  he 
deemed  objectionable.  But  the  prelate  was  not  to  be 
trapped  thus.  He  knew  well  that  had  he  done  this, 
Foote  would  have  advertised  its  performance  "as 
altered  and  amended  by  his  Grace  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury." 

Having  made  a  trip  to  Ireland,  he  was  asked  on  his 
return  what  impression  was  made  on  him  by  the  Irish 
peasantry,  and  replied  that  they  gave  him  great  satis- 


292  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

faction,  as  they  settled  a  question  that  had  long  agitated 
his  mind,  and  that  was,  what  became  of  the  cast  clothes 
of  English  beggars. 

One  evening  at  the  coffee-house  he  was  asked  if  he 
had  attended  the  funeral  of  a  very  intimate  friend,  the 
son  of  a  baker.  "Oh  yes,  certainly,"  said  he;  "just 
seen  him  shoved  into  the  family  oven." 

Although  he  had  on  more  than  one  occasion  applied 
to  Garrick  for  loans  of  a  few  hundred  pounds,  this  did 
not  deter  him  from  mimicking  Garrick,  and  when  the 
Shakespeare  Jubilee  took  place  at  Stratford-on-Avon, 
under  the  superintendence  of  this  latter,  Foote  was  so 
jealous  and  envious  of  its  success,  that  he  schemed 
bringing  out  a  mock  procession  in  imitation  of  it,  with 
a  man  dressed  to  resemble  Garrick  in  the  character  of 
the  Steward  of  the  Jubilee,  with  his  wand,  white- 
topped  gloves,  and  Shakespeare  medal  ;  whilst  some 
ragamuffin  was  to  address  him  in  the  lines  of  the 
Jubilee  poet-laureate — 

A  nation's  taste  depends  on  you, 
Perhaps  a  nation's  virtue  too  ; 

to  which  the  mimic  Garrick  was  to  reply  by  clapping 
his  arms,  like  the  wings  of  a  cock,  and  crowing — 

Cock-a-doodle-doo  ! 

It  was  with  difficulty  that  Foote  could  be  deterred 
from  carrying  his  scheme  into  effect. 

But,  indeed,  he  spared  no  one.  He  had  been  sepa- 
rated practically,  though  not  legally,  from  his  wife, 
whom  to  his  friends  and  acquaintances  he  spoke  of  as 
"the  Washerwoman."  She  was  a  quiet,  inoffensive, 
worthy  woman  ;  and  his  friends  induced  him  after  a 
while  to  allow  her  to  return  to  his  house.  As  it  chanced, 
her  conveyance  was  upset  on  the  way,  and  she  was 
thrown  out  and  much  cut  and  bruised  in  her  face  and 


SAMUEL   FOOTE  293 

person.  Instead  of  sympathizing"  with  her,  he  turned 
the  matter  into  joke  with  his  boon  companions,  and 
said,  "  If  you  want  to  see  a  map  of  the  world,  go  and 
look  at  my  wife's  face.  There  is  the  Black  Sea  in  her 
eye,  the  Red  Sea  in  her  gashes,  and  the  Yellow  Sea  in 
all  her  bruises." 

Dining  once  with  Earl  Kelly  at  his  house  at  North 
End  in  the  early  part  of  the  spring,  his  lordship,  who 
was  a  bon  vivarit  and  had  a  very  red  face,  apologized 
during  dinner  that  he  was  unable  to  give  the  party 
cucumbers  that  day,  as  none  were  ripe.  "Your  own 
fault,  my  lord,"  said  Foote.  "  Why  didn't  you  thrust 
your  nose  into  the  hot-house?" 

On  another  occasion,  Foote  calling  on  the  elder 
Colman,  the  dramatist,  heard  him  complain  of  want 
of  sleep.  "Read  one  of  your  own  plays,"  said 
Foote. 

Dining  one  day  with  Lord  Stormont,  he  noticed  the 
diminutive  size  of  the  decanters  and  glasses.  His 
lordship  boasted  of  the  age  of  his  wine.  "  Dear  me," 
said  Foote.     "  It  is  very  little,  considering  its  age." 

A  young  parson  was  on  his  honeymoon.  "  I'll  give 
you  a  text  for  your  next  sermon,"  said  Foote  :  "  Grant 
us  thy  peace  so  long  as  the  moon  endureth." 

Some  one  asked  Dr.  Johnson  whether  he  did  not 
think  that  Foote  had  a  singular  talent  for  exhibiting 
character.  "No,  sir,"  replied  the  doctor.  "It  is  not 
a  talent,  it  is  a  vice.  It  is  what  others  abstain  from. 
His  imitations  are  not  like.  He  gives  you  something 
different  from  himself,  without  going  into  other  people. 
He  is  like  a  painter  who  can  draw  the  portrait  of  a  man 
who  has  a  wen  on  his  face.  He  can  give  you  the  wen, 
but  not  the  man." 

In  The  Mayor  of  Garratt  Foote  took  off  and  held 
up  to  derision  the  old  Duke  of  Newcastle,  under  the 


294  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

name  of  Matthew  Mug.  Of  the  Duke  he  was  wont  to 
say  that  he  always  appeared  as  if  he  had  lost  an  hour  in 
the  morning  and  was  looking  for  it  all  day.  In  The 
Patron  he  satirized  Lord  Melcombe,  but  indeed  there 
were  few  with  any  peculiarity  of  manner  or  taste  or 
appearance,  whom  he  was  able  to  study,  whom  he  did 
not  hold  up  to  public  ridicule. 

The  first  time  that  George  II  attended  the  Hay  market 
The  Mayor  of  Garratt  was  on  the  stage.  When  His 
Majesty  arrived  at  the  theatre,  Foote,  as  manager, 
hobbled  to  the  stage  door  to  receive  him  ;  but,  as  he 
played  in  the  first  piece,  instead  of  wearing  the  court 
dress  usual  on  these  occasions,  he  was  equipped  in  the 
immense  cocked  hat,  cumbrous  boots,  and  all  the  other 
military  paraphernalia  of  Major  Sturgeon.  The 
moment  the  King  cast  his  eyes  on  this  extraordinary 
figure,  as  he  stood  bowing,  stumping,  and  wriggling 
with  his  wooden  leg,  George  II  receded  in  astonish- 
ment, exclaiming  to  his  attendants,  ''Look!  Vat 
is  dat  man — and  to  vat  regiment  does  he  belong?" 
Even  Samuel's  not  very  bright  brother  came  in  for  his 
sneers.  Edward  Foote  was  fond  of  hanging  about  the 
theatre,  and  frequented  the  green-room.  Some  one 
asked  Samuel  who  that  man  was.  "He?"  replied 
Foote.  "He's  my  barber."  Somewhat  later  the  rela- 
tionship came  out,  and  the  same  person  remarked  to 
him  on  his  having  spoken  so  contemptuously  of 
Edward.  "  Why,"  said  Samuel,  "  I  could  not  in  con- 
science say  he  was  a  brother-wit,  so  I  set  him  down  as 
a  brother-shaver." 

Retribution  came  on  him  at  last. 

The  reason  why  Foote  did  not  produce  his  "take-off" 
of  the  Duchess  of  Kingston  as  Lady  Kitty  Crocodile 
has  never  transpired.  According  to  one  account,  he  had 
threatened  to  caricature  her  in  the  hopes  of  levying 


SAMUEL   FOOTE  295 

blackmail  on  her  to  stop  the  production  ;  according  to 
another,  he  received  threats  that  made  him  fear  for  his 
life,  or  at  least  a  public  horse-whipping,  if  he  proceeded, 
and  he  altered  the  character.  But  he  was  very  angry, 
and  to  be  revenged  he  produced  a  piece,  The 
Capuchin^  which  was  the  original  Trip  to  Calais 
altered,  but  his  satire  was  transferred  from  the  Duchess 
to  her  chaplain,  named  Jackson,  whom  he  held  up  to 
public  scorn  as  Doctor  Viper. 

Jackson  was  furious,  and  trumped  up  a  vile  charge 
against  Foote,  by  the  aid  of  a  coachman  whom  the 
actor  had  discharged  from  his  service  for  misconduct. 
Foote  had  made  so  many  enemies  that  those  whom  he 
had  wounded  and  mortified  found  the  money  for  a 
prosecution  ;  and  the  case  was  tried  at  King's  Bench 
before  Lord  Mansfield  and  a  special  jury.  But  it  broke 
down  completely,  and  Foote  was  acquitted. 

As  soon  as  the  trial  was  over,  his  fellow  dramatist 
Murphy  took  a  coach  and  drove  to  Foote's  house  in 
Suffolk  Street,  Charing  Cross,  to  be  the  first  messenger 
of  the  good  tidings. 

Foote  had  been  looking  out  of  the  window  in 
anxious  expectation  of  such  a  message.  Murphy,  as 
soon  as  he  perceived  him,  waved  his  hat  in  token  of 
victory,  and  jumping  out  of  the  coach,  ran  upstairs,  to 
find  Foote  extended  on  the  floor,  in  hysterics.  In  this 
condition  he  continued  for  nearly  an  hour  before  he 
could  be  recovered  to  any  kind  of  recollection  of 
himself. 

The  charge,  and  the  anxiety  of  the  trial,  broke  his 
heart ;  he  never  thoroughly  rallied  after  it,  and  sold  his 
patent  in  the  Haymarket  Theatre  to  George  Colman  on 
January  i6th,  1777.  By  the  terms  of  this  agreement 
Colman  obliged  himself  to  pay  Foote  an  annuity  of 
sixteen  hundred  pounds. 


296  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Having  in  some  degree  recovered  his  health,  he  was 
advised  by  his  physician  to  try  the  south  of  France 
during  the  winter ;  and  with  this  intent  he  reached 
Dover  on  the  20th  October,  1777,  on  his  way  to 
Calais. 

Whilst  at  Dover,  he  went  into  the  kitchen  of  the  inn 
to  order  a  particular  dish  for  dinner,  and  the  cook, 
understanding  that  he  was  about  to  embark  for  France, 
began  to  brag  of  her  powers,  and  defy  him  to  find  any 
better  cuisine  abroad,  though,  for  her  part,  she  said, 
she  had  never  crossed  the  water.  *'Why  cookey," 
said  Foote,  "that  cannot  be,  for  above  stairs  they 
informed  me  you  have  been  s^v^xdXlxva^^  all  over  grease 
(Greece)."  "They  may  say  what  they  like,"  retorted 
she,  "  but  I  was  never  ten  miles  from  Dover  in  all  my 
life."  "Nay,  now,"  said  Foote,  "that  must  be  a  fib, 
for  I  myself  have  seen  you  at  Spit-head.'''' 

This  was  his  last  joke.  Next  morning  he  was  seized 
with  a  shivering  fit  whilst  at  breakfast,  which  increas- 
ing, he  was  put  to  bed.  Another  fit  succeeded  that 
lasted  three  hours.  He  then  seemed  inclined  to  sleep, 
and  presently  with  a  deep  sigh  expired  on  October 
2ist,  1777,  in  the  fifty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
buried  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

The  authors  of  the  Biographica  Dramatica  say  of 
his  farces  "Mr.  Foote's  dramatic  works  are  all  to  be 
ranked  among  the  petites  pieces  of  the  theatre,  as  he 
never  attempted  anything  which  attained  the  bulk  of 
the  more  perfect  drama.  In  the  execution  of  them  they 
are  sometimes  loose,  negligent,  and  unfinished,  seeming 
rather  to  be  the  hasty  productions  of  a  man  of  genius, 
whose  Pegasus,  though  endued  with  fire,  has  no  in- 
clination for  fatigue,  than  the  laboured  finishings  of  a 
professed  dramatist  aiming  at  immortality.  His  plots 
are    somewhat   irregular,    and    their    catastrophes    not 


SAMUEL   FOOTE  297 

always  conclusive  or  perfectly  wound  up.  Yet,  with 
all  these  little  deficiencies,  it  must  be  confessed  that 
they  contain  more  of  one  essential  property  of  comedy, 
viz.  strong  character,  than  the  writings  of  any  other 
of  our  modern  authors." 


THE  LAST  LORD  MOHUN 


"^HE  first  of  the  family  of  Mohun  known  to 
history  came  over  with  the  Conqueror  from 
Normandy,  and  received  the  name  and  title 
of  Sapell,  Earl  of  Somerset.  How  the  earl- 
dom lapsed  we  do  not  know,  but  a  Mohun  next  appears 
as  Baron  of  Dunster.  Apparently,  but  not  certainly, 
the  earldom  was  taken  from  them  by  Henry  HI,  for 
siding  against  him  with  the  Barons  in  1297.  A  branch 
of  the  family  settled  at  Boconnoc  early  in  the  fifteenth 
century.  In  the  church  of  Lanteglos  by  Fowey  is  a 
brass  of  William  Mohun,  who  died  in  1508.  Sir 
Reginald  Mohun,  Knt.,  was  sheriff  of  Cornwall  in 
1553  and  1560.  He  was  squire  of  the  body  to  Queen 
Elizabeth,  and  his  son.  Sir  William  Mohun,  was  sheriff 
in  1572  and  1578.  His  son.  Sir  Reginald,  was  created 
baronet  in  161 2,  and  his  grandson  John  was  raised  to 
be  Baron  Mohun  of  Okehampton  in  1628.  Warwick, 
the  second  Lord  Mohun,  died  in  1665,  leaving  a  son, 
Charles,  third  Baron,  who  married  Lady  Philippa 
Annesley,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Anglesea,  and  by  her 
had  a  son  Charles,  fourth  Baron,  and  a  daughter  Eliza- 
beth, who  died  unmarried.  He  acted  as  second  to  Lord 
Candish  in  a  duel,  where  he  was  wounded  in  the  belly 
and  died  soon  after  ;  he  was  buried  October  20th,  1677. 
Charles,  fourth  Baron  Mohun  of  Okehampton,  was 
married  in  the  first  place  to  Charlotte,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Mainwaring.  With  her  he  lived  unhappily 
and  was  separated  from  her,  nor  would  he  acknowledge 


THE    LAST   LORD    MOHUN  299 

the  daughter  born  to  her  as  being  his  own  child.  He 
had  the  good  fortune,  however,  to  be  rid  of  her  at  last, 
as  she  was  drowned  on  a  passage  to  Ireland  with  one  of 
her  gallants.  He  married  secondly  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Dr.  Thomas  Laurence,  physician  to  Queen  Anne,  and 
widow  of  Colonel  Edward  Griffith. 

Fitton  Gerrard,  Earl  of  Macclesfield,  maternal  uncle 
of  his  first  wife,  to  make  him  some  amends  for  his  bad 
bargain,  left  to  Lord  Mohun  a  good  part  of  his  estate. 

Charles,  fourth  Baron  Mohun,  was  of  a  contentious 
nature,  and  was  involved  in  several  duels.  He  fought 
Lord  Kennedy  on  December  7th,  1692.  On  October 
7th,  1694,  a  Mr.  Scobell,  a  Cornish  M.P.,  interfered 
with  Lord  Mohun,  who  was  attempting  to  kill  a  coach- 
man in  Pall  Mall.  Mohun,  furious  at  being  interfered 
with,  cut  Mr.  Scobell  over  the  head,  and  afterwards 
challenged  him.  He  was  also  engaged  in  a  duel  with 
a  Captain  Bingham  on  April  7th,  1697,  when  he  was 
wounded  in  the  hand.  He  was  next  engaged  in  a 
quarrel  with  a  Captain  Hill  of  the  Foot  Guards,  at 
the  Rummer  Tavern  on  September  14th,  1697  ;  he 
managed  to  kill  Hill. 

The  story  of  the  murder  of  Mountford  the  actor  by 
Captain  Hill,  in  which  Lord  Mohun  was  involved  as 
abetter,  is  given  very  fully  by  Sir  Bernard  Burke,  in 
his  Romance  of  the  Aristocracy^  1855,  and  I  will  here 
condense  his  account. 

Mrs.  Bracegirdle  was  at  the  time  a  very  charming 
actress,  with  a  delicious  voice  of  remarkable  flexibility, 
and  her  singing  of  such  a  song  as  Eccles'  '*  The  bonny, 
bonny  breeze"  brought  down  the  house  ;  but  the  mad 
song,  "  I  burn,  my  brain  consumes  to  ashes,"  as  sung 
by  her  in  the  character  of  Marcella  in  D071  Quixote^ 
was  considered  one  of  her  masterpieces.  Cibber 
says  that  all  the  extravagance  and  frantic  passion  of 


300  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Lee's  Alexander  the  Great  were  excusable  when  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle  played  Statira  ;  that  scarcely  an  audi- 
ence saw  her  that  were  not  half  her  lovers  without  a 
suspected  favourite  among  them.  In  an  age  of  general 
dissoluteness  she  bore  an  immaculate  reputation,  and 
the  licentious  men  about  town  knew  perfectly  well  that 
she  was  beyond  the  reach  of  their  solicitations.  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle  had  a  friend,  "a  miracle  of  fine  acting," 
Mrs.  Mountford,  also  a  performer  at  the  Theatre  Royal, 
Drury  Lane,  and  became  intimate  with  her.  Some  of 
the  malicious,  who  could  ill  believe  that  an  actress  was 
virtuous,  supposed  that  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  favoured  that 
lady's  husband,  who  was  a  good  actor  of  heroic 
tragedy. 

Among  the  many  admirers  of  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  was 
a  Captain  Richard  Hill.  So  infatuated  was  he  with 
her  charms,  that  he  proposed  to  marry  her  ;  but,  when 
she  rejected  his  offer,  he  regarded  this  as  an  insult, 
and  supposed  that  she  had  been  persuaded  by  Mount- 
ford  to  refuse  him.  Hill,  in  ungovernable  wrath,  vowed 
that  he  would  kill  the  actor  who  had  dared  to  tender 
advice  to  the  beautiful  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  to  reject  his 
offer,  and  also  to  carry  off  his  mistress  by  force. 

At  a  supper,  where  were  Lord  Mohun,  Captain  Hill, 
Colonel  Tredenham,  and  a  Mr.  Powell,  Hill  spoke 
openly  of  his  purpose,  and  turning  to  Powell  said,  ''  I 
am  resolved  to  have  the  blood  of  Mountford."  Powell, 
who  was  a  friend  to  both  parties,  took  alarm  at  these 
words,  and  replied  that  he  should  certainly  inform 
Mountford  of  the  threat  and  caution  him  to  be  on  his 
guard.  Captain  Hill  then  drew  off  from  him,  and 
approached  Lord  Mohun,  whom  he  speedily  discovered 
to  be  ready  to  act  as  his  ally. 

Along  with  Mohun,  Hill  now  seriously  set  about  the 
requisite   preparations    for   carrying  out    his  purpose. 


THE    LAST    LORD    MOHUN  301 

which  they  agreed  should  take  place  the  following 
night.  With  this  view,  their  first  care  was  to  order  a 
coach  to  be  in  waiting  for  them  at  nine  o'clock  in 
Drury  Lane,  near  the  theatre  ;  but,  so  as  not  to  attract 
particular  notice,  with  two  horses  only,  while  a  reserve 
of  four  more  was  to  be  held  in  readiness  at  the  stables, 
to  convey  Hill  and  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  to  Totteridge. 
That  they  expected  a  serious  resistance  was  apparent, 
for  they  not  only  provided  themselves  with  pistols,  but 
had  bribed  a  party  of  soldiers  to  assist  them  in  the 
enterprise. 

During  the  day  the  confederates  dined  together  at  a 
tavern  in  Covent  Garden,  and  talked  openly  of  their 
intention,  before  several  other  persons  who  were 
present.  But  strangely  enough,  not  a  syllable  reached 
those  interested,  to  give  them  timely  warning.  Yet 
the  conversation  was  of  a  nature  to  excite  attention  ; 
they  discussed  the  scheme  unreservedly,  and  Lord 
Mohun  remarked  that  the  affair  would  cost  at  least  fifty 
pounds  ;  to  which  Hill  replied,  "  If  that  villain  Mount- 
ford  resist  I  will  stab  him."  "And  I  will  stand  your 
friend  if  you  do,"  observed  Lord  Mohun. 

It  so  happened,  however,  that  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  did 
not  play  that  night,  and  the  confederates  learned  the 
fact,  as  also  that  she  was  supping  at  the  house  of  a 
Mr.  Page  in  Princes  Street  hard  by,  and  thither,  ac- 
cordingly, they  repaired,  planting  themselves  with  the 
soldiers  over  against  a  house  occupied  by  Lord  Craven. 

Nine  o'clock  struck,  and  still  no  signs  of  her  for 
whom  they  were  watching.  They  began  to  think  that 
they  must  have  been  misinformed  and  ordered  the 
coachman  to  drive  to  Howard  Street,  where  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle  lodged,  in  the  house  of  a  Mrs.  Browne. 
Howard  Street  is  a  cross-way  leading  from  Arundel 
Street,  through  Norfolk  Street,  to  Surrey  Street,  in  the 


302  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

former  of  which  lived  Mountford,  so  that  it  was  not 
possible  for  the  actor  on  his  return  from  the  theatre  to 
fail  coming  upon  them.  Here,  however,  they  did  not 
remain  long,  their  suspicions  having  been  excited  by 
the  appearance  of  several  individuals  pacing  up  and 
down  in  front  of  the  lady's  lodgings,  and  these  they 
thought  must  be  spies  set  to  watch  their  proceedings. 
They  accordingly  returned  to  their  former  station  by 
the  house  of  Mr.  Page,  At  ten  o'clock  the  door  opened 
and  that  gentleman  issued  forth  along  with  Mrs.  Brace- 
girdle,  her  mother  and  brother,  and  volunteered  to 
accompany  them  home,  an  offer  they  declined,  as  they 
said  that  they  needed  no  further  protection  ;  however, 
he  attended  them  part  of  the  way.  On  coming  up 
Drury  Lane  they  were  surprised  to  see  a  crowd  about 
a  coach  drawn  up  before  the  house  of  Lord  Craven, 
with  the  steps  down.  In  this  Lord  Mohun  was  seated, 
with  several  cases  of  pistols  near  him.  Before  they 
had  time  to  inquire  into  the  meaning  of  this,  two  of 
the  soldiers  rushed  forward,  forced  Mrs.  Bracegirdle 
away  from  Page,  and  would  have  dragged  her  to  the 
coach  but  that  her  mother  clung  about  her  neck,  in 
spite  of  some  rough  handling  by  the  ruffians.  There- 
upon up  ran  Hill,  and  he  struck  at  both  Page  and  the 
old  lady  with  his  drawn  sword  ;  but  some  of  the  crowd 
looking  on  interfered  so  effectually  that  he  found  him- 
self obliged  to  withdraw.  However,  he  rallied,  and 
pretending  that  there  was  a  disturbance  and  that  the 
lady  was  in  danger  and  that  she  required  safe  conduct, 
he  so  persuaded  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  that  he  had  no  part 
in  the  matter  that  she  allowed  him  to  escort  her  and 
her  mother  to  their  home,  and  Lord  Mohun  and  the 
soldiers  followed  as  though  in  pursuit,  Hill  occasionally 
facing  round  as  though  to  dare  them  to  approach. 
Upon  reaching  Howard  Street  the  soldiers  were  dis- 


THE    LAST    LORD    MOHUN  303 

missed,  as  being  no  longer  required,  as  it  was  now 
deemed  impossible  to  carry  out  the  original  plan  of  a 
forcible  abduction. 

Just  as  Hill  was  about  to  withdraw,  he  plucked  Page 
by  the  sleeve,  and  intimated  to  him  that  he  had  a 
desire  to  speak  with  him  in  private  ;  but  that  gentle- 
man, who  was  eager  to  be  back  at  his  own  house, 
replied  hastily  that  "another  time  would  do;  to-morrow 
would  serve." 

However,  no  sooner  was  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  safe  within 
the  house,  than  the  others,  fearing  that  evil  might  be- 
fall Page,  laid  hold  of  him  and  drew  him  within,  and 
closed  the  door  in  the  face  of  Captain  Hill. 

Instead  of  having  his  ardour  cooled  by  his  rebuff, 
the  captain  became  more  wroth,  and  determined  to 
revenge  himself  on  Mountford  ;  and  in  conjunction 
with  Lord  Mohun,  he  continued  pacing  up  and  down 
the  street  for  two  mortal  hours  with  his  sword  drawn. 

Those  within  the  house  being  greatly  alarmed  at 
their  proceedings,  sent  Mrs.  Browne  out  to  inquire  the 
reason  of  this.  To  this  they  replied,  with  the  utmost 
frankness,  that  they  were  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Mountford.  As  evidence  that  the  besiegers  had  no 
intention  of  withdrawing,  they  sent  for  a  couple  of 
bottles  of  wine,  when  the  watch  came  up  and  asked 
what  they  were  doing  in  the  streets  at  such  an  hour  of 
the  night  with  drawn  swords  in  their  hands. 

These  inquiries  were  cut  short  at  once  by  Lord 
Mohun  saying,  '*  I  am  a  peer  of  the  realm  ;  touch  me 
if  you  dare  ! "  a  reply  that  so  staggered  the  watch 
that  they  slunk  away  without  further  question.  They 
had,  however,  observed  the  waiter  who  brought  the 
wine  and  they  followed  him  to  the  tavern  to  draw  from 
him  an  explanation  they  did  not  venture  to  demand 
from  a  nobleman. 


304  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Whilst  the  besiegers  were  tipping  off  their  wine,  the 
besieged  found  an  opportunity  for  sending  a  messenger 
to  warn  Mrs.  Mountford  of  the  danger  threatening  her 
husband  and  to  bid  her  communicate  with  him.  Nor 
was  this  the  only  one,  a  second  and  perhaps  a  third 
were  also  despatched  to  caution  him.  But  unhappily 
every  one  of  these  messengers  failed  to  reach  him,  and 
at  midnight  he  came  along  the  street  on  his  way  home- 
ward without  entertaining  the  least  apprehension. 

Lord  Mohun  was  the  first  to  meet  and  salute  the 
unhappy  man,  when  the  latter  expressed  his  surprise  at 
finding  his  lordship  there  at  such  an  hour. 

"I  suppose  you  have  been  sent  for?"  was  the  curt 
reply.  Mountford  said.  No — he  was  there  on  his  way 
home  from  the  playhouse. 

"  You  know  all  about  the  lady,  I  imagine,"  said  Lord 
Mohun. 

Mountford  not  understanding  the  drift  of  his  words 
said,  *'  I  hope  that  my  wife  has  given  you  no  offence." 
"You  mistake  me,"  said  Lord  Mohun  ;   "it  is  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle  that  I  mean." 

"Mrs.  Bracegirdle  is  no  concern  of  mine,"  replied 
Mountford;  "but  I  hope  your  lordship  does  not 
countenance  any  ill  action  of  Mr.  Hill." 

The  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  impatient 
captain,  who  suddenly  started  forward,  and  exclaiming, 
"This  is  no  longer  the  time  for  such  discourses!" 
struck  Mountford  with  his  left  hand,  and  immediately 
ran  him  through  the  body.  The  wounded  man  did  not 
fall  to  the  ground  at  once  ;  he  had  still,  for  a  moment, 
sufficient  strength  left  to  draw  his  sword,  though  not 
to  use  it,  when,  exhausted  by  the  effort,  he  sank  upon 
the  ground. 

A  cry  of  murder  arose.  Hill  fled,  and  the  watch  came 
up  now  from  the  tavern  where  they  had  been  question- 


THE    LAST    LORD    MOHUN  305 

ing  the  drawer  and  imbibing.  Mountford  was  carried 
to  his  own  lodgings,  where  he  died,  about  one  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  for  it  was  some  time 
after  midnight  when  the  affair  took  place. 

"The  grand  jury  of  Middlesex,"  says  Macaulay, 
**  consisting  of  gentlemen  of  note,  found  a  bill  of 
murder  against  Hill  and  Mohun.  Hill  escaped.  Mohun 
was  taken.  His  mother  threw  herself  at  King  William's 
feet,  but  in  vain.  '  It  was  a  cruel  act,'  said  the  King. 
*  I  shall  leave  it  to  the  law.' 

"The  trial  came  on  in  the  Court  of  the  Lord  High 
Steward,  and,  as  Parliament  happened  to  be  sitting, 
the  culprit  had  the  advantage  of  being  judged  by  the 
whole  body  of  the  peerage.  There  was  then  no  lawyer 
in  the  Upper  House.  It  therefore  became  necessary, 
for  the  first  time  since  Buckhurst  had  pronounced 
sentence  on  Essex  and  Southampton,  that  a  peer 
who  had  never  made  jurisprudence  his  special  study 
should  preside  over  that  grave  tribunal.  Caermarthen, 
who,  as  Lord  President,  took  precedence  of  all  the 
nobility,  was  appointed  Lord  High  Steward.  A  full 
report  of  the  proceedings  has  come  down  to  us.  No 
person,  who  carefully  examines  that  report,  and  attends 
to  the  opinion  unanimously  given  by  the  judges  in 
answer  to  a  question  which  Nottingham  drew  up,  and 
in  which  the  facts  brought  out  by  the  evidence  are 
stated  with  perfect  fairness,  can  doubt  that  the  crime  of 
murder  was  fully  brought  home  to  the  prisoner.  Such 
was  the  opinion  of  the  King,  who  was  present  during 
the  trial  ;  and  such  was  the  almost  unanimous  opinion 
of  the  public.  Had  the  issue  been  tried  by  Holt  and 
twelve  plain  men  at  the  Old  Bailey,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  a  verdict  of  Guilty  would  have  been  re- 
turned. The  Peers,  however,  by  sixty-nine  votes  to 
fourteen,  acquitted  their  accused  brother.     One  great 

X 


3o6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

nobleman  was  so  brutal  and  stupid  as  to  say,  *  After 
all,  the  fellow  was  but  a  player ;  and  players  are 
rogues.'  All  the  newspapers,  all  the  coffee-house 
orators  complained  that  the  blood  of  the  poor  was  shed 
with  impunity  by  the  great.  Wits  remarked  that  the 
only  fair  thing  about  the  trial  was  the  show  of 
ladies  in  the  galleries.  Letters  and  journals  are  still 
extant  in  which  men  of  all  shades  of  opinion,  Whigs, 
Tories,  Non-jurors,  condemn  the  partiality  of  the 
tribunal." 

On  the  one  hand,  the  words  of  the  dying  man  excul- 
pated Mohun  from  any  share  in  the  actual  murder ;  on  the 
other  hand,  it  is  clear  from  the  uncontradicted  testimony 
of  more  than  one  witness,  that  he  was  fully  cognizant 
of  Hill's  intentions,  and  that  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
encourage  him  by  his  presence  through  the  whole 
affair.  According  to  the  Attorney-General,  his  first 
question,  when  he  surrendered  himself,  was,  "Has 
Mr.  Hill  escaped?"  and,  upon  being  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  am  glad  of  it !  I  should 
not  care  if  I  were  hanged  for  him,"  his  only  regret 
being  that  Hill  had  escaped  with  very  little  money  about 
him.  He  confessed,  moreover,  to  the  watch,  that  he 
had  changed  coats  with  his  friend ;  the  object,  of 
course,  was  to  throw  out  the  pursuers  as  much  as 
possible  by  this  slight  disguise. 

This  is  Lord  Mohun's  portrait  as  drawn  by  a  not  un- 
favourable hand  :  ''  Charles,  Lord  Mohun,  is  the  repre- 
sentative of  a  very  ancient  family,  but  he  had  the 
misfortune  to  come  to  the  title  young,  while  the  estate 
was  in  decay  ;  his  quality  introduced  him  into  the  best 
company,  but  his  wants  very  often  led  him  into  bad  ; 
so  that  he  became  one  of  the  arrantest  rakes  in  town, 
and,  indeed,  a  scandal  to  the  peerage  ;  was  generally 
a  sharer  in  all  riots  ;  and  before  he  was  twenty  years 


THE    LAST   LORD    MOHUN  307 

old  was  tried  twice  for  murder  by  the  House  of  Peers. 
On  his  being  acquitted  at  the  last  trial,  he  expressed 
his  contrition  for  the  scandal  he  brought  upon  his 
degree  as  peer  by  his  behaviour,  in  very  handsome 
terms,  and  promised  to  behave  himself  so,  for  the 
future,  as  not  to  give  further  scandal  ;  and  he  has  been 
as  good  as  his  word;  for  now  he  applies  himself  in  good 
earnest  to  the  knowledge  of  the  constitution  of  his 
country,  and  to  serve  it ;  and  having  a  good  deal  of 
fine  and  good  sense,  turned  this  way,  makes  him  very 
considerable  in  the  House.  He  is  brave  in  his  person, 
bold  in  his  expressions,  and  rectifies,  as  fast  as  he  can, 
the  slips  of  his  youth,  by  acts  of  honesty,  which  he 
now  glories  in  more  than  he  was  formerly  extravagant. 
He  was  married,  when  very  young,  to  a  niece  of  my 
Lord  Macclesfield,  who,  dying  without  issue,  left  him 
a  considerable  estate/  which  he  well  improves.  The 
Queen  continues  him  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  foot. 
He  is  of  middle  stature,  inclining  to  fat,  not  thirty 
years  old." 

However  much  he  may  have  intended  to  amend,  Lord 
Mohun  was  again  involved  in  a  murder,  that  of  a  Mr. 
Coote,  a  few  years  later,  in  conjunction  with  the  Earl  of 
Warwick  ;  he  was,  however,  pronounced  innocent  by 
the  unanimous  suffrage  of  the  Peers. 

After  this  last  affair  only  was  it  that  he  amended  his 
ways,  and  the  author  of  The  History  of  Queen  Anne, 
March  nth,  London,  1713,  gives  a  favourable  account 
of  him.  "After  this  last  misfortune  my  Lord  Mohun 
did  wonderfully  reclaim  ;  and  what  by  his  reading,  what 
by  his  conversation  with  the  ablest  statesmen,  so  well 
improved  his  natural  parts,  that  he  became  a  great  orna- 
ment to  the  peerage  and  a  strenuous  asserter  of  the  cause 
of  Liberty,  and  the  late  Revolution :  which  last,  however, 

^  The  earl  died  on  November  5th,  1701. 


3o8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

could  not  but  raise  him  many  enemies  ;  and  is,  I  doubt, 
the  only  reason  why  his  memory  is  so  unfairly,  so  bar- 
barously treated.  'Tis  true,  my  Lord  Mohun,  like  most 
men  in  our  cold  climate,  still  lov'd  a  merry  glass  of  wine 
with  his  friends.  But  in  this  he  was  a  happy  reverse 
to  some  men,  who  owe  all  their  bright  parts  in  the 
management  of  affairs  to  the  fumes  of  Burgundy  and 
Champaign  :  for  he  was  exemplarily  temperate  when  he 
had  any  business  of  moment  to  attend.  He  behaved  him- 
self so  discretely  at  the  Court  of  Hanover,  whither  he 
accompanyed  the  late  Earl  of  Macclesfield,  whose  niece 
he  had  married,  that  he  left  an  excellent  character  behind 
him  with  the  most  serene  Elector,  and  the  Princess 
Sophia,  his  mother,  two  allow'd  judges  of  merit ;  and 
when  his  Highness  was  to  be  install'd  Knight  of  the 
Garter  he  appointed  the  Lord  Mohun  to  be  his  proxy. "^ 

Party  feeling  strongly  coloured  the  descriptions  given 
of  the  character  of  Lord  Mohun.  He  was  a  Whig  and 
zealous  advocate  of  the  claims  of  the  Elector  of  Hanover, 
and  was  consequently  obnoxious  to  the  Tories  and 
Jacobites.  In  the  Exa7nmer  he  is  represented  in  the 
worst  light ;  and  is  even  accused  of  cowardice  ;  but 
Bishop  Burnet  was  able  to  say  no  more  of  him  than 
this  :  "I  am  sorry  I  cannot  say  so  much  good  of  him 
as  I  wish  ;  and  I  had  too  much  kindness  for  him,  to  say 
any  evil  unnecessarily." 

In  171 1  the  attention  of  the  legislature  was  drawn 
to  the  subject  of  duels  by  Sir  Peter  King  ;  and  after 
dwelling  on  the  alarming  increase  of  the  practice, 
obtained  leave  to  bring  in  a  Bill  for  the  prevention 
and  punishment  of  duelling.  It  was  read  a  first  time  on 
May  nth,  and  was  ordered  for  a  second  reading  in  the 
ensuing  week. 

About  the   same   time  the   attention    of  the    Upper 

'  History  of  the  Reign  of  Queen  Anne,  Vol.  XII,  pp.  305-6  (1713). 


THE    LAST    LORD    MOHUN  309 

House  was  also  drawn  to  the  subject  in  a  painful 
manner.  In  a  debate  in  the  Lords  upon  the  conduct 
of  the  Duke  of  Ormond  in  refusing  to  hazard  a  general 
engagement  with  the  enemy,  Earl  Pawlet  remarked 
that  nobody  could  doubt  the  courage  of  the  Duke. 
*  *  He  was  not  like  a  certain  general,  who  led  troops  to  the 
slaughter,  to  cause  great  numbers  of  officers  to  be 
knocked  on  the  head  in  a  battle,  or  against  stone  walls, 
in  order  to  fill  his  pockets  by  disposing  of  their 
commissions." 

That  this  was  levelled  at  the  Duke  of  Marlborough 
no  one  doubted,  but  he  remained  silent,  though  evi- 
dently suffering  in  mind.  Soon  after  the  House  broke 
up,  the  Earl  Pawlet  received  a  visit  from  Lord  Mohun, 
who  told  him  that  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  desired 
some  explanation  of  the  words  he  had  used,  as  certain 
expressions  employed  by  his  lordship  were  greatly 
offensive  to  him.  He  would  accordingly  be  very  glad 
to  meet  him,  and  for  that  purpose  desired  him  "  to  take 
a  little  air  in  the  country." 

Earl  Pawlet  did  not  affect  to  misunderstand  the  hint, 
but  asked  Lord  Mohun  in  plain  terms  whether  he 
brought  a  challenge  from  the  Duke.  Lord  Mohun 
answered  that  he  considered  what  he  had  said  needed 
no  elucidation,  and  that  he  himself  would  accompany 
the  Duke  of  Marlborough  as  second. 

He  then  took  his  leave,  and  Earl  Pawlet  returned 
home  and  confided  to  his  lady  that  he  was  going  to 
fight  a  duel  with  the  Duke  of  Marlborough.  The 
Countess,  greatly  alarmed  for  her  lord's  safety,  gave 
notice  of  his  intention  to  the  Earl  of  Dartmouth,  who 
immediately,  in  the  Queen's  name,  sent  for  the  Duke  of 
Marlborough  and  commanded  him  not  to  stir  abroad. 
He  also  caused  Earl  Pawlet's  house  to  be  guarded  by 
two  sentinels  ;  and  having  taken  these  precautions,  in- 


3IO  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

formed  the  Queen  of  the  whole  affair.  Her  Majesty 
sent  at  once  for  the  Duke,  expressed  her  abhorrence  of 
the  custom  of  duelling,  and  required  his  word  of 
honour  that  he  would  proceed  no  further.  The  Duke 
pledged  his  word  accordingly,  and  the  affair  ter- 
minated, much,  doubtless,  to  the  disappointment  of 
Lord  Mohun,  who  took  a  delight  in  these  passages  of 
arms. 

We  come  now  to  the  last  duel  of  Lord  Mohun,  in 
which  he  lost  his  life  and  his  title  expired.  The  reader 
will  recall  the  description  given  of  it  in  Esmond. 

The  Duke  of    Hamilton,   a  shuffling  Jacobite,   had 
been   in   constant   correspondence  with   the    Court   of 
S.  Germain's,  and  with  the  numerous  agents  of  the  Pre- 
tender kept  scattered  about  in  various  parts  of  the  Con- 
tinent and  in  England.    Even  before  Mrs.  Masham  and 
Harley  had  undermined  the  Whig  ministry,  Hamilton 
had    been    an    acceptable    visitor    at    the    Court    of 
S.   James's  ;    but   since   the   Tory  party   had    got  the 
upper  hand,  he  had  been  closeted  far  more  frequently 
with  the  Queen  than  before  ;  and  now  he  was  appointed 
to  represent  Queen  Anne  at  the  French  Court.    Burnet 
says:   "The  Duke  of  Hamilton  being  now  appointed 
to  go  to  the  Court  of  France  gave  melancholy  specu- 
lation to  those  who  thought  him   much  in  the    Pre- 
tender's   interest ;    he    was    considered,    not    only   in 
Scotland,   but   here  in   England,   as  the  head  of   his 
party."     A  few  days  before  he  left  for  Versailles,  his 
career  was  cut  short.     He  had  been  engaged  in  some 
law-suits  with  Lord  Mohun  over  the  succession  to  the 
estates  of  the  Earl  of  Macclesfield,  and  this,  together 
with  political  animosity,  inflamed  both  these  noblemen 
with  deadly  hatred  towards  each  other.     Mohun  took 
an  occasion  that  offered  of  publicly  insulting  the  Duke, 
in  the  hope  of  making  him  the  challenger.    His  Grace, 


THE    LAST   LORD    MOHUN  311 

however,  had  too  much  contempt  for  the  known  charac- 
ter of  the  man  to  enter  into  an  idle  dispute  with  him, 
especially  at  a  time  when  he  was  invested  with  the 
sacred  character  of  ambassador.  He  relied  on  his  own 
reputation  with  the  world  to  bear  him  out  in  declining 
to  notice  such  an  affront,  offered  at  such  a  time,  and 
committed,  as  the  Tories  asserted,  under  the  influence 
of  drink. 

The  circumstances  of  the  insult  were  these.  On  Thurs- 
day, November  13th,  a  party  was  assembled  at  the 
chambers  of  Mr.  Orlebar,  a  master  in  Chancery,  when 
the  Duke  made  some  reflections  on  Mr.  Whitworth, 
father  of  the  Queen's  late  ambassador  to  the  Czar  ; 
whereat  Lord  Mohun  roared  out  that  the  Duke  had 
neither  truth  nor  justice  in  him.  ''  Indeed,  he  has  just 
as  much  truth  in  him  as  your  Grace  !  "  The  Duke  of 
Hamilton  made  no  reply;  and  both  parties  remained  at 
the  table  for  half  an  hour  after  this  outbreak  ;  and  at 
parting  Hamilton  made  a  low  bow  to  Mohun,  who 
returned  the  civility,  so  that  none  of  those  there  present 
suspected  any  consequence  from  what  had  passed 
between  the  two  peers. 

But  Lord  Mohun  had  determined  to  fight  his  private 
and  political  adversary,  and  although  he  was  the 
offender  he  next  day  sent  a  challenge  to  the  Duke  by 
the  hand  of  a  friend,  General  Maccartney.  In  the 
evening  of  the  14th  the  Duke,  accompanied  by  Colonel 
John  Hamilton,  went  to  meet  General  Maccartney  at 
the  Rose  Tavern,  in  one  room,  whilst  in  the  adjoining 
Lord  Mohun  awaited  Colonel  Hamilton.  Then  and 
there  the  time  and  place  of  the  duel  were  agreed  upon. 
On  Sunday  morning,  November  15th,  at  seven  o'clock, 
Lord  Mohun  with  his  second.  General  Maccartney, 
went  in  a  hackney-coach  to  the  lodge  of  Hyde  Park, 
where  they  alighted,   and  were  soon  after  met  by  the 


312  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Duke  of  Hamilton  and  his  second,  Colonel  Hamilton. 
They  all  jumped  over  a  ditch  into  a  place  called  the 
Nursery.  It  is  said  that  Lord  Mohun  did  not  wish  that 
the  seconds  should  bear  a  part  in  the  engagement,  but 
the  Duke  insisted,  saying  that  "  Mr.  Maccartney  should 
have  a  share  in  the  dance."  But  the  spirit  of  party  so 
completely  seized  hold  of  the  subject  as  to  make  it 
difficult  to  ascertain  what  were  the  real  facts. 

It  is  said  on  one  side  that  the  Duke  was  from  the 
first  very  unwilling  to  fight,  and  even  at  the  last  moment 
would  have  consented  to  a  reconciliation.  According  to 
the  evidence  given  by  Colonel  Hamilton  at  the  inquiry 
on  November  25th,  early  in  the  morning  of  the  15th, 
before  he  was  half  dressed,  the  Duke  called  at  his  house 
and  hurried  him  into  his  chariot  "so  soon  that  he 
finished  the  buttoning  of  his  waistcoat  there.  By  the 
time  they  had  got  into  Pall  Mall  the  Duke  observed 
that  the  Colonel  had  left  his  sword  behind  him  ;  where- 
upon he  stopt  his  chariot  and  gave  the  footman  a  bunch 
of  keys  and  orders  to  fetch  a  mourning  sword  out  of 
such  a  closet.  At  the  return  of  the  footman  they  drove 
on  to  Hyde  Park,  where  the  coachman  stopt,  and  the 
Duke  ordered  him  to  drive  on  to  Kensington.  When 
they  came  to  the  lodge  they  saw  a  hackney-coach  at  a 
distance,  on  which  his  Grace  said,  '  There  was  some 
body  he  must  speak  with  '  ;  but  driving  up  to  it  and  see- 
ing nobody  he  asked  the  coachman,  '  Where  the  gentle- 
men were  whom  he  had  brought?'  he  answered  'A 
little  before.'  The  Duke  and  the  Colonel  got  out  in 
the  bottom  and  walked  over  the  pond's  head,  where  they 
saw  the  Lord  Mohun  and  General  Maccartney  before 
them.  As  soon  as  the  Duke  came  within  hearing  he  said, 
'  He  hop'd  he  was  come  time  enough,'  and  Maccartney 
answered,  '  In  very  good  time,  my  Lord.'  After  this 
they  all  jumped  over  the  ditch  into  the  Nursery,   and 


I 


THE    LAST   LORD    MOHUN  313 

the  Duke  turned  to  Maccartney  and  told  him,  '  Sir, 
you  are  the  cause  of  this,  let  the  event  be  what  it  will.' 
Maccartney  said,  'We'll  have  our  share.'  Then  the  Duke 
answered,  '  There  is  my  friend  then,  he  will  take  his 
share  in  my  dance.'  " 

The  Duke  is  said  to  have  looked  about  him  and 
remarked  to  his  second,  "  How  grey  and  cold  London 
looks  this  morning,  and  yet  the  sky  is  almost  cloud- 
less." To  which  the  Colonel  replied,  "  It  is  through  lack 
of  London  smoke.  London  is  nothing  without  its 
smoke." 

The  combat  then  commenced  between  the  principals, 
and  at  a  little  distance  from  them  between  the  seconds. 

The  combat  between  the  former  was  carried  on  with 
fury,  and  the  clash  of  steel  called  to  the  spot  the 
keepers  of  the  Park  and  a  few  stragglers  who  were 
abroad  there  at  this  early  hour — in  all  about  nine  or 
ten.  None  of  them  interfered  ;  they  looked  on  as  they 
might  at  a  cock-fight. 

In  a  short  time  the  Duke  was  wounded  in  both  legs, 
and  his  sword  pierced  his  antagonist  through  the 
groin,  through  the  arm,  and  in  sundry  other  parts 
of  the  body.  If  they  had  thought  little  enough  before 
of  attending  to  self-defence,  they  now  seemed  to 
abandon  the  idea  altogether.  Each  at  the  same 
moment  made  a  desperate  lunge  at  the  other ;  and 
the  Duke's  weapon  passed  right  through  his  adver- 
sary's body  up  to  the  hilt.  The  latter,  according  to 
one  account,  shortening  his  sword,  plunged  it  into  the 
upper  part  of  the  Duke's  left  breast,  the  blade  running 
downwards  into  his  belly.  But  there  is  another 
version  of  the  story. 

Meanwhile  the  seconds  had  been  engaged,  and 
Colonel  Hamilton  deposed:  ''Maccartney  had  made 
a  full  pass  at  him,  which  he,  parrying  down  with  great 


314  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

force,   wounded    himself  in  the  instep ;    however,   he 
took    that     opportunity    to    close    with    and     disarm 
Maccartney,   which  being  done,   he  turn'd   his  head, 
and  seeing  my  Lord  Mohun  fall,  and  the  Duke  upon 
him,   he  ran  to  the  Duke's  assistance  ;   and   that   he 
might  with  the  more  ease  help  him,   he  flung  down 
both  swords  ;  and  as  he  was  raising  my  Lord  Duke  up, 
he  saw  Maccartney  make  a  push  at  his  Grace  " — this 
was   explained    to    be    over    his    shoulder — and    "he 
immediately  look'd   to  see  if  he  had  wounded   him  ; 
but  seeing  no  blood,  he  took  up  his  sword,  expecting 
Maccartney  would  attack  him  again  ;   but  he  walked 
off.     Just  as  he  was  gone  came  up  the  keepers  and 
others,  to  the  number  of  nine  or  ten,  among  the  rest 
Ferguson,  my  Lord  Duke's  steward,  who  had  brought 
Bassiere's  man  with  him  ;    who  opening  his  Grace's 
breast,  soon  discovered  a  wound  on  the  left  side,  which 
came  in  between  the  left  shoulder  and  pap,  and  went 
slantingly  down  through   the   midriff  into   his  belly. 
This   wound    is   thought    impracticable   for   my    Lord 
Mohun  to  give  him." 

Maccartney  now  took  to  his  heels  and  fled,  and 
tarried  not  till  he  was  secure  in  Holland. 

Colonel  Hamilton  remained  on  the  field,  and  sur- 
rendered himself  to  arrest. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  remove  the  Duke  to  the 
Cake  House,  but  he  expired  on  the  grass.  Lord 
Mohun  also  died  on  the  spot. 

In  The  Examiner,  the  Tory  mouthpiece,  the  story 
is  thus  given:  "The  affront  was  wholly  given  by 
Mohun,  which  the  Duke,  knowing  him  to  be  drunk, 
did  not  resent.  But  the  bravo  Maccartney,  who 
depended  for  his  support  on  the  Lord  Mohun,  finding 
his  pupil's  reputation  very  much  blasted  by  those  tame 
submissions,  which  his  Lordship,  mistaking  his  man. 


THE    LAST    LORD    MOHUN  315 

had  lately  paid  to  Mr.  D'Avenant,  judg'd  there  was  no 
way  to  set  him  right  in  the  coffee  houses  and  the  Kit- 
Cat  but  by  a  new  quarrel,  and  made  choice  of  the 
Duke,  a  person  of  fifty-five,  and  very  much  weaken'd 
by  frequent  attacks  of  gout.  Maccartney  was  forc'd 
to  keep  up  his  patron's  courage  with  wine,  till  within 
a  few  hours  of  their  meeting  in  the  field.  And  the 
mortal  wound  which  the  Duke  receiv'd,  after  his 
adversary  was  run  thro'  the  heart,  as  it  is  probably 
conjectured,  could  not  be  given  by  any  but  Mac- 
cartney. At  least,  nothing  can  be  charged  on  him 
which  his  character  is  not  able  to  bear.  'Tis  known 
enough,  that  he  made  an  offer  to  the  late  King  to 
murder  a  certain  person  who  was  under  his  Majesty's 
displeasure  ;  but  that  Prince  disdain'd  the  motion,  and 
abhorred  the  proposer  ever  after.  However  it  be,  the 
general  opinion  is  that  some  very  black  circumstances 
will  appear  in  this  tragedy,  if  a  strict  examination  be 
made  ;  neither  is  it  easy  to  account  for  three  great 
wounds  in  the  Duke's  legs,   if  he  had  fair  play." 

The  sum  of  ^800  was  offered  by  the  Government  for 
the  apprehension  of  Maccartney. 

Such  would  seem  to  be  the  facts,  but  the  Colonel's 
statement,  when  brought  before  the  Council,  was  some- 
what rambling.  In  the  excitement  of  the  encounter  he 
was  not  in  a  condition  to  judge  accurately  what  took 
place.  Cunningham,  a  Whig,  says  that  Hamilton, 
*'  being  challenged  to  a  duel  by  the  Lord  Mohun, 
killed  his  antagonist ;  but  was  himself  also  killed,  as 
was  supposed,  by  General  Maccartney,  Mohun's 
second."  Although  the  large  sum  mentioned  was 
offered  for  the  apprehension  of  the  General,  he  was 
safe  in  the  Low  Countries.  However,  some  years  later 
he  returned  to  England  and  was  tried,  but  the  jury 
gave  a  verdict  of  "  Manslaughter"  against  him. 


3i6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

A  prodigious  ferment  was  occasioned  by  the  duel, 
and  party  recriminations  ran  high.  The  stabbing  of 
the  Duke  to  the  heart  rested  mainly  on  the  allegation 
of  Colonel  Hamilton,  but  at  the  trial  he  prevaricated, 
and  several  persons  who  had  seen  the  combat  at  a 
distance  directly  contradicted  some  material  points  of 
his  testimony. 

Swift,  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Dingley  on  the  day  of  the 
duel,  says  :  "This  morning,  at  eight,  my  man  brought 
me  word  that  the  Duke  Hamilton  had  fought  with 
Lord  Mohun  and  killed  him,  and  was  brought  home 
wounded.  I  immediately  sent  him  to  the  Duke's  house, 
in  S.  James's  Square ;  but  the  porter  could  hardly 
answer  him  for  tears,  and  a  great  rabble  was  about  the 
house.  In  short,  they  fought  at  seven  this  morning. 
The  dog  Mohun  was  killed  on  the  spot ;  but  while  the 
Duke  was  over  him,  Mohun,  shortening  his  sword, 
stabbed  him  in  at  the  shoulder  to  the  heart.  The  Duke 
was  helped  towards  the  Cake  House  by  the  Ring  in 
Hyde  Park  (where  they  fought),  and  died  on  the  grass, 
before  he  could  reach  the  house  ;  and  was  brought 
home  in  his  coach  by  eight,  while  the  poor  Duchess 
was  asleep.  I  am  told  that  a  footman  of  Lord  Mohun's 
stabbed  Duke  Hamilton  ;  and  some  say,  Maccartney 
did  so  too.  Mohun  gave  the  affront,  and  yet  sent  the 
challenge.  I  am  infinitely  concerned  for  the  poor 
Duke,  who  was  a  frank,  honest,  good-natured  man. 
I  loved  him  very  well  ;  and  I  think  he  loved  me 
better.  .  .  .  They  have  removed  the  poor  Duchess  to 
a  lodging  in  the  neighbourhood,  where  I  have  been 
with  her  two  hours,  and  am  just  come  away.  I  never 
saw  so  melancholy  a  scene,  for  indeed  all  reasons  ot 
real  grief  belong  to  her  ;  nor  is  it  possible  for  any  one 
to  be  a  greater  loser  in  all  regards.  She  has  moved 
my   very  soul.     The    lodging  was    inconvenient ;  and 


THE    LAST    LORD    MOHUN  317 

they  would  have  removed  her  to  another  ;  but  I  would 
not  suffer  it,  because  it  had  no  room  backwards,  and 
she  must  have  been  tortured  with  the  noise  of  the 
Grub  Street  screamers,  singing  her  husband's  murder 
in  her  ears." 

But  in  his  History  of  the  Four  Last  Years  of  the 
Qiieen^  written  in  1713,  Swift  says:  "The  Duke  was 
preparing  for  his  journey,  when  he  was  challenged  to 
a  duel  by  the  Lord  Mohun,  a  person  of  infamous 
character.  He  killed  his  adversary  on  the  spot,  though 
he  himself  received  a  wound  ;  and,  weakened  by  the 
loss  of  blood,  as  he  was  leaning  in  the  arms  of  his 
second,  was  most  barbarously  stabbed  in  the  breast  by 
Lieutenant-General  Maccartney.  He  died  a  few  minutes 
after  in  the  field,  and  the  murderer  made  his  escape." 

It  is  accordingly  very  doubtful  whether  the  coup  de 
grace  was  dealt  by  Lord  Mohun  or  by  his  second. 
With  Lord  Mohun,  the  barony  of  Mohun  of  Okehamp- 
ton  became  extinct ;  but  the  estate  of  Gawsworth,  in 
Cheshire,  which  he  had  inherited  from  Lord  Maccles- 
field, was  vested  by  his  will  in  his  widow,  and  eventu- 
ally passed  to  her  second  daughter  by  her  first  husband, 
Anne  Griffith,  wife  of  the  Right  Honourable  William 
Stanhope,  from  whom  it  passed  to  the  Earls  of  Harring- 
ton. 

Boconnoc  and  the  Devon  and  Cornish  estates  were 
sold  in  1717  for  ;^54,ooo  to  Thomas  Pitt,  commonly 
called  Governor  Pitt. 


THE    LAST    LORD    CAMELFORD 

THOMAS  PITT  was  the  son  of  a  tradesman 
at  Brentford,  and  he  went  to  push  his  for- 
tunes in  India  as  a  merchant  adventurer. 
There  he  obtained  a  diamond,  thought  to  be 
the  finest  known,  and  with  it  returned  to  England, 
where  he  offered  it  for  sale  to  Queen  Anne,  and  ulti- 
mately sold  it  to  the  Regent  Duke  of  Orleans,  for  the 
French  nation,  for  ^^135,000. 

The  Regent  and  his  two  successors  in  the  govern- 
ment of  France  set  this  diamond  as  an  ornament  in 
their  hats  on  occasions  of  state.  It  was  stolen  during 
the  disturbances  of  the  Revolution,  but  was  recovered, 
and  Napoleon  had  it  placed  between  the  teeth  of  a 
crocodile,  forming  the  handle  of  his  sword. 

With  about  half  the  large  sum  obtained  by  the  sale 
of  the  gem,  Pitt  purchased  the  property  of  the  last 
Lord  Mohun  in  Cornwall,  and  settled  at  Boconnoc. 
He  also  bought  burgess  tenures,  giving  the  right  of 
franchise  at  Old  Sarum,  and  represented  that  place  in 
Parliament.  He  had  two  sons,  Robert  and  Thomas, 
and  Robert  succeeded  his  father  at  Boconnoc.  He 
married  Harriet  Villiers,  third  sister  of  John,  Earl 
Grandison,  and  died  in  May,  1727,  leaving  two  sons, 
Thomas  Pitt,  and  William,  who  was  afterwards  created 
Earl  of  Chatham.  Thomas  Pitt,  his  brother,  was 
created  Earl  of  Londonderry,  in  consequence  of  his 
marrying  the  heiress  of  Ridgeway,  in  which  family  was 
the  earldom. 

3i8 


THE    LAST   LORD   CAMELFORD         319 

Thomas  Pitt,  the  eldest  son  of  Robert,  engaged  in 
political  intrigue,  and  supported  the  party  of  Frederick, 
Prince  of  Wales.  He  married  Christiana,  sister  of 
George,  first  Lord  Lyttleton,  by  whom  he  had  one  son, 
Thomas,  who  was  created  Baron  Camelford  in  1784, 
when  his  first  cousin  William  Pitt  rose  to  be  Prime 
Minister.  Thomas  Pitt  was  aged  twenty-five  when  he 
became  Baron  Camelford,  and  he  died  in  January,  1793, 
leaving  a  son,  Thomas  Pitt,  the  second  and  last  Lord 
Camelford,  and  a  daughter,  married  to  William 
Wyndham,  Lord  Grenville.  Thomas  Pitt,  son  of  the 
first  baron,  became  an  object  of  attention  in  Cornwall 
almost  from  his  birth. 

On  the  event  of  his  christening,  in  1775,  Boconnoc 
was  thrown  open  to  the  public,  with  general  feasting 
and  revelries  and  wrestling.  A  silver  bowl  worth 
fifteen  guineas  was  the  prize  of  the  best  wrestler,  and 
about  fifty  pounds  were  distributed  among  the  dis- 
appointed and  defeated  competitors. 

The  education  of  Thomas  Pitt  was  conducted  at 
Boconnoc  under  a  private  tutor,  but  having  paid  a 
visit  to  Plymouth  at  a  time  when  naval  preparations 
were  in  full  activity,  he  acquired  a  desire  to  go  to  sea. 
However,  he  was  sent  to  Berne  to  learn  French  and 
German,  and  then  to  the  Charter  House.  As  he  still 
manifested  a  strong  desire  for  the  sea,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Royal  Navy  as  a  midshipman,  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  ;  and  he  sailed  in  the  Guardiayi  frigate,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Riou,  laden  with  stores  for  the 
colony  of  convicts  at  Botany  Bay.  The  vessel  became 
a  wreck,  and  the  commander  gave  permission  to  such 
of  the  crew  as  chose  to  avail  themselves  of  it  to  take  to 
the  boats  and  leave  her.  But  Lord  Camelford,  together 
with  about  ninety,  resolved  on  abiding  with  the  vessel, 
with  the  captain,  patching  her  up  and  navigating  her. 


320  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

After  a  perilous  passage  in  the  vessel  to  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  Lord  Camelford,  in  September,  1790, 
arrived  at  Harwich  in  the  Prince  of  Orange  packet. 

Undaunted  by  the  privations  and  hardships  he  had 
undergone,  he  solicited  an  appointment  on  the  voyage 
of  discovery  conducted  by  Captain  Vancouver.  He 
accompanied  that  officer,  in  the  ship  Discovery^  during 
part  of  his  circumnavigation,  but  proved  so  trouble- 
some, headstrong,  and  disobedient  to  orders  as  to  put 
Captain  Vancouver  under  the  necessity  of  placing  him 
under  arrest. 

He  accordingly  quitted  the  Discovery  in  the  Indian 
Seas,  and  entered  on  board  the  Resistance^  com- 
manded by  Sir  Edward  Pakenham,  by  whom  he  was 
appointed  lieutenant. 

During  his  absence  at  sea  his  father  had  died,  and 
when  he  returned  to  England  it  was  to  succeed  to  the 
title  and  family  estates.  In  October,  1796,  he  sent  a 
challenge  to  Captain  Vancouver,  who  replied  with 
dignity  that  he  had  acted  according  to  his  duty,  to 
check  insubordination  and  to  preserve  discipline.  He 
was,  however,  perfectly  willing  to  submit  his  conduct 
to  the  judgment  of  any  flag  officer  in  His  Majesty's 
Navy,  and  if  the  latter  considered  that  he  had  over- 
stepped the  bounds  of  what  was  right,  then  he  would 
be  prepared  to  give  Lord  Camelford  the  satisfaction 
he  desired.  But  this  proposal  did  not  at  all  meet 
Lord  Camelford's  views,  and  he  wrote  threatening  the 
captain  with  personal  chastisement.  Shortly  after, 
encountering  him  in  Bond  Street,  he  would  have 
struck  him  had  not  his  brother  interfered. 

Having  attained  the  rank  of  master  and  commander, 
Lord  Camelford  was  nominated  to  the  command  of  the 
Favourite^  a  sloop.  That  vessel  and  the  Perdrix  were 
lying   in   harbour  at  Antigua  on  January   i3tli,    1790, 


THE    LAST   LORD   CAMELFORD         321 

when  Captain  Fahil,  of  the  PerdriXy  was  absent  on 
shore,  and  had  left  the  charge  of  the  ship  to  the  first 
lieutenant,  Mr.  Peterson. 

Lord  Camelford  then  issued  an  order  which  Mr. 
Peterson  refused  to  obey,  conceiving  that  his  lordship 
was  exceeding  his  authority  in  giving  a  command  to 
the  representative  of  a  senior  officer. 

The  two  ships  were  hauled  alongside  of  each  other 
in  the  dockyard  to  be  repaired,  and  the  companies  of 
each  vessel  collected  round  their  respective  officers  on 
the  quay.  High  words  ensued.  Then  twelve  of  the 
crew  of  the  Perdrix  arrived  on  the  spot,  armed.  Mr. 
Peterson  drew  them  up  in  line,  and  placed  himself  at 
their  head,  with  his  sword  brandished  in  his  hand.  Lord 
Camelford  at  once  called  out  his  marines,  and,  rushing 
off,  borrowed  a  pistol  from  an  officer  of  the  dockyard, 
and  returning,  in  a  threatening  voice,  asked  Mr. 
Peterson  if  he  still  refused  obedience.  "I  do  persist," 
replied  the  lieutenant.  "You  have  no  right  to  issue 
the  order."  Thereupon  Lord  Camelford  shot  him 
through  the  head,  and  he  expired  instantly.  Lord 
Camelford  at  once  surrendered  himself  to  Captain 
Watson,  of  the  Beaver ^  sloop.  In  this  vessel  Lord 
Camelford  was  conveyed  to  Fort  Royal,  Martinique, 
where  a  court-martial  assembled  on  board  the  In- 
vincible. The  court  continued  to  sit  from  the  20th  to 
the  25th  January,  when  they  came  to  the  decision 
"that  the  very  extraordinary  and  manifest  dis- 
obedience of  Lieutenant  Peterson  to  the  lawful  com- 
mands of  Lord  Camelford,  the  senior  officer  at  English 
Harbour  at  that  time,  and  the  violent  measures  taken 
by  Lieutenant  Peterson  to  resist  the  same,  by  arming 
the  Perdrix's  ship's  company,  were  acts  of  mutiny 
highly  injurious  to  his  Majesty's  service  ;  the  Court  do 
therefore    unanimously   adjudge   that    the   said    Lord 


322  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Camelford  be  honourably  acquitted,  and  he  is  hereby 
unanimously  and  honourably  acquitted  accordingly." 

After  this  his  lordship  reassumed  the  command  of 
his  ship,  but  for  a  short  while  only,  for  he  threw  up 
his  appointment  and  quitted  the  naval  profession.  His 
personal  appearance  while  in  the  service  was  marked 
with  eccentricity.  His  dress  consisted  of  a  lieutenant's 
plain  coat,  without  shoulder  knots,  and  the  buttons 
green  with  verdigris.  His  head  was  closely  shaved, 
and  he  wore  no  wig  over  it,  only  an  enormous  gold- 
laced  cocked  hat. 

Not  long  after  his  return  to  England,  a  crazy  notion 
entered  the  head  of  Lord  Camelford,  that  he  would 
go  to  Paris  and  assassinate  some,  if  not  all,  of  the 
Directory.  Accordingly,  on  the  night  of  Friday,  i8th 
January,  1799,  he  proceeded  by  coach  to  Dover,  where 
he  arrived  on  the  following  morning,  and  put  up  at 
the  City  of  London  Inn.  After  breakfast  he  walked  on 
the  pier,  and  engaged  a  boat  to  convey  him  to  Deal. 
He  came  to  terms  with  a  boatman  named  Adams,  and 
then  confided  to  him  that  he  desired  to  be  conveyed 
not  to  Deal  but  to  Calais,  where  he  purposed  disposing 
of  some  watches  and  other  trinkets,  and  finally  bar- 
gained with  him  to  be  put  across  for  twelve  guineas. 
But  his  lordship's  conduct  and  manner  of  speech  were 
so  odd,  that  Adams  deemed  it  advisable  to  speak  of 
the  matter  to  Mr.  Newport,  the  collector.  Newport 
advised  that  Adams  and  his  brother  should  keep  the 
appointment,  which  was  for  six  o'clock  that  evening, 
when  he  would  be  there  and  investigate  the  affair. 
Accordingly,  when  Lord  Camelford  entered  the  boat, 
he  was  arrested,  and  required  to  go  with  Newport  to 
the  Secretary  of  State's  office  in  London.  They  found 
on  him,  when  taken,  a  brace  of  pistols  and  a  long,  two- 
edged   dagger.      On    Saturday,  the    i8th   January,  at 


THE    LAST   LORD   CAMELFORD         323 

eleven  at  night,  he  was  put  in  a  post-chaise,  and 
escorted  by  Newport  and  the  two  Adamses  to  the  Duke 
of  Portland's  office,  where  he  was  recognized.  A 
Privy  Council  was  at  once  summoned,  and  Mr.  Pitt 
despatched  a  messenger  to  Lord  Camelford's  brother- 
in-law.  Lord  Grenville,  to  come  at  once  to  town.  His 
lordship  was  examined  along  with  Newport  and  the 
two  Adamses,  and  the  Council,  satisfied  that  he  was 
crazy,  discharged  him. 

Not  long  after  this,  he  brought  notice  upon  himself 
in  another  sort  of  matter.  On  the  night  of  the  2nd 
April,  1799,  during  the  representation  of  the  farce  The 
Devil  to  Pay,  at  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  a  riot  took  place 
in  the  box-lobby,  occasioned  by  the  entrance  of  some 
gentlemen  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  who  began  to 
demolish  the  chandeliers,  when  Lord  Camelford,  as 
one  of  the  ringleaders,  was  taken  into  custody,  charged 
by  a  Mr.  Humphries  with  having  knocked  him  down 
repeatedly  and  nearly  beaten  out  one  of  his  eyes. 
For  this  he  was  sued  at  the  Court  of  King's  Bench,  and 
was  condemned  to  pay  ;^500. 

In  town  Lord  Camelford  was  incessantly  embroiled 
with  the  watchmen,  and  was  either  had  up  before  the 
magistrates,  or  else  obliged  to  bribe  the  constables  to 
let  him  off.  He  was  a  terror  and  a  nuisance  to  quiet 
citizens  passing  through  the  streets  at  night. 

In  1801,  when  the  return  of  peace  was  celebrated  by 
a  general  illumination,  no  persuasions  of  his  landlord, 
a  grocer  in  New  Bond  Street,  could  induce  him  to 
have  lights  placed  in  the  windows  of  his  apartments. 

Consequently  the  mob  assailed  the  house  and 
smashed  every  pane  of  glass  in  his  windows.  Where- 
upon his  lordship  sallied  forth,  armed  with  a  cudgel, 
and  fell  on  the  rabble,  and  was  severely  mauled  by  it, 
rolled    in   the   kennel,   much    beaten,   and   his  clothes 


324  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

torn  off  his  back.  As  the  illuminations  were  to  be 
continued  on  succeeding  nights,  he  hired  a  party  of 
sailors  to  defend  his  house. 

One  evening  he  entered  a  coffee-house  in  Conduit 
Street  in  shabby  costume,  and  sat  down  to  peruse  the 
paper.  Shortly  after  a  buck  of  the  first  water  came 
up,  threw  himself  into  the  box  opposite,  and  shouted 
to  the  waiter  to  bring  him  a  pint  of  Madeira  and  a 
couple  of  wax  candles.  Till  these  arrived  he  coolly 
took  to  himself  Lord  Camelford's  candle,  set  himself 
to  read. 

Lord  Camelford  shouted  to  the  waiter  to  fetch  him 
a  pair  of  snuffers,  and  then  walking  into  the  fop's  box 
extinguished  his  candle. 

Boiling  with  rage,  the  indignant  beau  roared  out, 
''Waiter!  waiter!  who  the  deuce  is  that  fellow  who 
has  insulted  me? " 

The  waiter,  coming  up  with  the  pint  of  Madeira  and 
the  desired  candles,  replied,  ''  Lord  Camelford,  sir." 

"  Lord  Camelford  !  "  shouted  the  dandy,  jumped  up, 
threw  down  his  money,  and  bolted  without  having 
tasted  his  Madeira. 

For  some  time  Lord  Camelford  had  been  acquainted 
with  a  Mrs.  Simmons,  who  had  formerly  lived  under  the 
protection  of  a  Mr.  Best,  a  friend  of  his  lordship.  Some 
mutual  acquaintance  told  him  that  Best  had  said  some- 
thing slighting  of  him  to  this  woman.  This  so  exasper- 
ated Lord  Camelford  that  on  March  6th,  1804,  meeting 
Mr.  Best  in  the  Prince  of  Wales's  Coffee-house,  he 
went  up  to  him  and  said  in  threatening  tones  :  ''  I  find, 
sir,  that  you  have  spoken  of  me  in  most  unwarrantable 
terms."  Mr.  Best  replied  that  he  was  quite  unconscious 
of  having  done  so.  Lord  Camelford,  then  speaking 
loud  enough  for  every  one  present  to  hear,  declared 
that   he   knew   well   enough   what    Best    had    said    to 


THE    LAST   LORD   CAMELFORD         325 

Mrs.  Simmons,  and  that  he  esteemed  him,  Best,  to  be 
"  a  scoundrel,  a  liar,  and  a  ruffian." 

Best  could  do  no  other  than  send  him  a  challenge, 
but  with  it  an  assurance  that  his  lordship  had  been 
misinformed,  as  no  such  words  had  ever  passed  his 
lips.  He  expected,  accordingly,  that  Lord  Camelford 
would  acknowledge  his  mistake,  and  then  all  would 
be  as  before.  But  Lord  Camelford  would  listen  to  no 
explanation,  and  a  meeting  was  appointed  to  take  place 
the  following  morning. 

Lord  Camelford  went  to  his  lodgings  in  Bond  Street, 
and  there  wrote  his  will,  and  added  to  it  the  following 
declaration:  "There  are  many  other  matters,  which 
at  another  time  I  might  be  inclined  to  mention,  but 
I  will  say  nothing  more  at  present  than  that  in  the 
present  contest  I  am  fully  and  entirely  the  aggressor, 
as  well  in  the  spirit  as  in  the  letter  of  the  word.  Should 
I,  therefore,  lose  my  life  in  a  contest  of  my  own  seek- 
ing, I  most  solemnly  forbid  any  of  my  friends  or 
relations,  let  them  be  of  whatsoever  description  they 
may,  from  instituting  any  vexatious  proceedings 
against  my  antagonist ;  and  should,  notwithstanding 
the  above  declaration  on  my  part,  the  laws  of  the  land 
be  put  in  force  against  him,  I  desire  that  this  part 
of  my  will  may  be  made  known  to  the  King,  in  order 
that  his  royal  heart  may  be  moved  to  extend  his  mercy 
towards  him." 

From  this  it  would  appear  that  Lord  Camelford 
Was  convinced  that  he  had  made  a  mistake,  and  no 
longer  believed  that  Best  had  used  the  expressions 
attributed  to  him.  At  the  same  time  he  was  too  proud 
to  admit  that  he  had  been  mistaken,  and  submit  to 
make  a  public  apology. 

His  lordship  quitted  his  lodgings  between  one  and 
two  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  the  7th  March,  and 


326  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

slept  at  a  tavern,  with  a  view  to  avoid  the  officers  of  the 
police,  should  they  get  wind  of  the  proposed  meeting 
and  prevent  it. 

Agreeably  to  the  appointment  made  by  the  seconds, 
Lord  Camelford  and  Mr.  Best  met  early  in  the  morning 
at  a  coffee-house  in  Oxford  Street,  and  here  again 
Mr.  Best  made  an  attempt  at  a  reconciliation,  and 
renewed  the  assurance  that  he  never  had  uttered  the 
words  reported  to  have  been  said  by  him.  "  Camel- 
ford,"  said  he,  "we  have  been  friends,  and  I  know  the 
unsuspecting  generosity  of  your  nature.  Upon  my 
honour,  you  have  been  imposed  upon  by  a  strumpet. 
Do  not  insist  on  prosecuting  a  quarrel  in  which  one  of 
us  must  fall." 

To  this  Lord  Camelford  replied,  "  Best,  this  is  child's 
play  !  the  thing  must  go  on." 

Mr.  Best  was  esteemed  the  best  shot  in  England,  and 
his  lordship  dreaded,  should  he  retract  the  offensive 
words  used  by  himself  at  the  coffee-house,  that 
malicious  folk  might  say  he  did  it  out  of  fear. 
Accordingly  his  lordship  and  Mr.  Best,  on  horseback, 
took  the  road  to  Kensington,  followed  by  a  post-chaise, 
in  which  were  the  two  seconds.  On  their  arrival  at  the 
*'  Horse  and  Groom,"  about  a  quarter  to  eight,  the 
parties  dismounted,  and  proceeded  along  the  path 
leading  to  the  fields  behind  Holland  House.  The 
seconds  measured  the  ground,  and  they  took  their 
station  at  the  distance  of  thirty  paces.  Lord  Camelford 
fired  first,  but  missed  his  aim.  A  space  of  some 
seconds  intervened,  and  then  Best  fired  ;  whereupon 
Lord  Camelford  fell. 

The  seconds,  together  with  Mr.  Best,  at  once  ran  to 
his  assistance,  when  he  is  said  to  have  grasped  the 
hand  of  his  antagonist,  and  to  have  said,  "  Best,  I  am  a 
dead  man  ;  you  have  killed  me,  but  I  freely  forgive  you." 


fl 


THE    LAST    LORD   CAMELFORD         327 

The  report  of  the  pistols  had  attracted  attention,  and 
several  persons  were  seen  running  up,  whereupon  Best 
and  his  second  got  into  the  post-chaise  and  drove  off  at 
a  gallop. 

One  of  Lord  Holland's  gardeners  now  approached, 
and  Lord  Camelford's  second  ran  to  summon  a 
surgeon,  Mr.  Thompson,  of  Kensington,  and  bring 
him  to  the  spot. 

Meanwhile  the  gardener  hallooed  to  his  fellows  to 
stop  the  post-chaise  ;  but  the  dying  man  interposed, 
saying  "  that  he  did  not  wish  them  to  be  arrested  ;  he 
was  himself  the  aggressor,  and  he  forgave  the  gentle- 
man as  he  trusted  that  God  would  forgive  him." 

Meanwhile  a  sedan-chair  was  procured,  and  his  lord- 
ship was  conveyed  to  Little  Holland  House,  the 
residence  of  a  Mr.  Ottey,  and  a  messenger  was  de- 
spatched to  the  Rev.  W.  Cockburne,  Lord  Camelford's 
cousin,  to  inform  him  as  to  what  had  taken  place. 
That  gentleman  at  once  communicated  with  the  police, 
and  then  hurried  to  his  noble  relative.  By  this  time 
others  had  arrived,  Mr.  Knight,  the  domestic  surgeon 
of  his  lordship,  and  his  most  intimate  friend.  Captain 
Barrie.  The  wound  was  examined,  and  was  pro- 
nounced to  be  mortal. 

Lord  Camelford  continued  in  agonies  of  pain  during 
the  whole  day,  when  laudanum  was  administered,  and 
he  was  able  to  obtain  some  sleep  during  the  night,  so 
that  in  the  morning  he  felt  easier. 

During  the  second  day  his  spirits  revived,  and  he 
conversed  with  those  about  his  bed.  The  surgeons, 
however,  could  not  give  the  smallest  hope  of  recovery. 
To  the  Rev.  W.  Cockburne,  who  remained  with  him  till 
he  expired,  his  lordship  expressed  his  confidence  in  the 
mercy  of  God  ;  and  he  said  that  he  received  much 
comfort  from  the  reflection  that  he  felt  no  ill-will  aerainst 


328  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

any  man.  In  the  moments  of  his  greatest  pain  he  cried 
out  that  he  trusted  the  sufferings  he  endured  might  be 
accepted  as  some  expiation  for  the  crimes  of  his  life. 

He  lingered,  free  from  acute  pain,  from  Thursday 
till  Saturday  evening,  about  half-past  eight,  when 
mortification  set  in  and  he  breathed  his  last. 

On  the  evening  of  his  decease  an  inquest  was  held 
on  the  body,  and  a  verdict  of  wilful  murder  returned 
against  *'some  person  or  persons  unknown." 

Thereupon  a  bill  of  indictment  was  preferred  against 
Mr.  Best  and  his  second,  but  this  was  ignored  by  the 
grand  jury. 

As  Thomas,  the  second  Baron  Camelford,  died  with- 
out issue,  Boconnoc  passed  to  his  sister,  Lady  Gren- 
ville. 

A  life  of  Lord  Camelford,  with  portrait,  was  pub- 
lished in  London  (Mace,  New  Russell  Court,  Strand), 
1804. 

The  Rev.  W.  Cockburne  also  wrote  An  Authentic 
Accoujit  of  the  late  Unfortunate  Death  of  Lord  Ca?nel- 
ford,  London  (J.  Hachard),  1804.  As  in  this  he  anim- 
adverted on  the  negligence  of  the  magistrates  in  not 
preventing  the  duel,  Mr.  Cockburne  was  answered  by 
one  of  them,  Philip  New,  in  A  Letter  to  the  Rev.  Wm. 
Cockburne^  London  (J.  Ginger,  Piccadilly),  1804. 


WILLIAM    NOYE 

CORNWALL  has  no  great  cause  to  boast  of 
William    Noye   as   her   son.     He   was    un- 
doubtedly  a    shrewd,    subtle,    and    learned 
lawyer  ;  but  he  was  wholly  without  principle 
and  consistency. 

He  was  the  son  of  Edward  Noye,  of  Carnanton,  in 
Mawgan  parish,  and  grandson  of  William  Noy,  or 
Noye,  of  Pendrea,  in  Buryan.  He  was  born  at  this 
latter  place,  it  is  asserted,  in  1577.  In  1593  he  entered 
Exeter  College,  Oxford,  and  thence  removed  to  Lin- 
coln's Inn  to  study  common  law.  He  represented 
Grampound  in  Parliament  1603-14,  Fowey  1623-5, 
S.  Ives  1625-7,  Helston  1627-31.  In  Parliament  he 
proved  himself  an  able  and  determined  opponent  to  the 
encroachment  of  the  Royal  prerogative.  Hals  says  : 
*'  In  the  beginning  of  the  reyne  of  King  Charles  I  he 
was  specially  famous  for  beinge  one  of  the  boldest  and 
stoutest  champions  of  the  subjects'  liberty  in  Parliament 
that  the  western  parts  of  England  afforded  ;  which 
beinge  observed  by  the  Court  party,  Kinge  Charles 
was  advised  by  his  Cabinet  Councill  that  it  wold  be  a 
prudent  course  to  divert  the  force  and  power  of  Noye's 
skill,  logick,  and  rhetorique  another  waye,  by  givinge 
him  som  Court  preferment.  Whereupon  Kinge 
Charles  made  him  his  Attorney-General,  1631,  by 
which  expedient  he  was  soon  metamorphized  from  an 
asserter  of  the  subjects'  liberty  and  property  to  a  most 
zealous  and  violent  promoter  of  the  despotick  and  arbi- 

329 


330  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

trary  prerogative  or  monarchy  of  his  Prince  ;  soe  that 
like  the  image  of  Janus  at  Rome,  he  looked  forward 
and  backward,  and  by  means  thereof  greatly  enriched 
himself. — Amongst  other  things,  he  is  reflected  upon  by 
our  chronologers  for  beinge  the  principal  contriver  of 
the  ship-money  tax,  layd  by  Kinge  Charles  upon  his 
subjects  for  settinge  forth  a  navye,  or  fleet  of  shipps  at 
sea,  without  the  consent  of  Lords  or  Commons  in 
Parliament,  which  moneys  were  raysed  by  writt  of  the 
sheriffs  of  all  countys  and  commissioners,  and  for  a 
long  tyme  brought  into  the  exchequer  twenty  thousand 
pound  per  mensem,  to  the  greate  distast  of  the  Parlia- 
ment, the  layety,  and  clergye,  who  declard  against  it  as 
an  unlawfull  tax." 

Noye's  appointment  as  Attorney-General  was  on 
October  27th,  163 1.  He  was  not  the  only  one  who  was 
a  turncoat.  Sir  Thomas  Wentworth,  afterwards 
created  Earl  of  Strafl"ord,  Sir  Dudley  Digges,  and 
Littleton  also  apostatized.  Wentworth,  the  most  re- 
nowned of  the  set,  after  being  one  of  the  sturdiest  of  the 
reformers  and  boldest  declaimers  in  the  House  of 
Commons — after  suffering  imprisonment  for  refusing 
to  contribute  to  the  forced  loan — this  eminent  person,  a 
gentleman  of  Yorkshire,  who  boasted  his  descent,  by 
bastardy,  from  the  royal  line  of  the  Plantagenets,  out  of 
a  very  ignoble  rivalry  and  an  ambition  for  rank  and 
title  (even  his  friends  could  discover  no  purer  motives), 
sold  himself  body  and  soul  to  the  Court.  Sir  Dudley 
Digges,  though  a  spirited  debater  and  a  man  of  talent, 
had  been  known  for  some  time  to  be  without  principle, 
and,  upon  being  offered  the  post  of  Master  of  the  Rolls, 
he  closed  at  once  with  the  bargain  and  turned  round 
upon  his  former  friends. 

Noye  and  Littleton  were  both  distinguished  lawyers. 
Noye's  Treatise  of  the  Pri7icipall  Grounds  and  Maximes 


S^'WIJJLIAM  :XOYMtturney  (^cnerall  j 
toOCincj  Gff ARIES  thJJrr/^^^^^^^^^    ^ 


SIR    WILLIAM    .NOVi:,    ATTOKXEV    GEXEKAI.    lO    KING   CHARLES  TilE   1-IKST 


WILLIAM    NOYE  331 

of  the  Laws  of  this  Kingdom  has  gone  through  numerous 
editions  down  to  1870.  His  Compleat  Lawyer  has 
also  been  republished  frequently.  Noye  as  Attorney- 
General,  and  Littleton  as  Solicitor-General,  now  used 
their  wits  and  their  knowledge  to  explain  and  stretch 
the  prerogative,  and  they  did  this  apparently  without  a 
blush  at  the  recollection  of  their  previous  conduct 
when  they  had  combated  for  the  rights  of  Parliament 
and  the  liberties  of  the  people. 

Among  Howell's  Familiar  Letters  is  one  to  Sir 
Arthur  Ingram  at  York.  ''Our  greatest  news  here 
now  is,  that  we  have  a  new  Attorney-General,  which  is 
news  indeed,  considering  the  humour  of  the  man,  how 
he  hath  been  always  ready  to  entertain  any  cause 
whereby  he  might  clash  with  the  Prerogative  :  but  now 
Judg  Richardson  told  him,  his  head  full  of  Proclama- 
tions and  Decrees,  how  to  bring  money  into  the 
Exchequer.  He  hath  lately  found  out  amongst  the  old 
records  of  the  Tower  some  precedents  for  raising  a  tax 
called  Ship-Money  in  all  the  Port -Towns  when  the 
kingdom  is  in  danger.  Whether  we  are  in  danger  or 
no,  at  present  'twere  presumption  in  me  to  judg." 

That  England  needed  a  fleet  to  protect  her  could 
not  be  disputed.  Howell  admits  as  much.  "One  with 
half  an  eye  may  see  we  cannot  be  secure  while  such 
large  fleets  of  men-of-war,  both  Spanish,  French, 
Dutch,  and  Dunkirkers,  some  of  them  laden  with  ammu- 
nition, men,  arms,  and  armies,  do  daily  sail  on  our 
seas  and  confront  the  King's  chambers  (guns),  while 
we  have  only  three  or  four  ships  abroad  to  guard  our 
coast  and  kingdom,  and  to  preserve  the  fairest  flower  of 
the  crown,  the  dominion  of  the  Narrow  Sea,  which  I 
hear  the  French  Cardinal  begins  to  question,  and  the 
Hollander  lately  would  not  vail  to  one  of  His  Majesties 
ships  that  brought  over  the  Duke  of  Lenox  and  my 


332  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Lord  Weston  from  Bullen  (Boulogne)  ;  and  indeed  we 
are  jeer'd  abroad  that  we  send  no  more  ships  to  guard 
our  seas."^ 

Dunkirk  was  peculiarly  obnoxious,  as  it  was  a  nest  of 
pirates  that  fell  on  our  small  trading  vessels,  and  even 
Algerines  came  with  impunity  to  our  coasts  and  carried 
off  captives  as  slaves  in  Africa.  The  Dutch,  taking 
advantage  of  the  domestic  broils  in  England,  had  greatly 
advanced  their  commerce,  and  were  prepared  to  dispute 
with  England  the  command  of  the  Channel.  They 
excluded  English  vessels  from  the  northern  fisheries, 
and  went  so  far  as  to  claim  and  to  exercise  the  right 
of  fishing  along  the  English  coasts.  The  Navy  of 
France,  moreover,  was  also  rapidly  augmented,  under 
the  fostering  care  of  Richelieu. 

Hitherto  the  ports  on  the  coast  had  contributed 
towards  the  defence  of  the  land  and  the  protection  of 
our  shipping,  but  the  inland  towns  had  been  exempted. 
This  was  not  reasonable,  and  Charles  resolved  on 
imposing  a  general  tax  to  provide  England  with  a  fleet. 
He  had  recourse  to  Noye  instead  of  placing  the  matter 
before  Parliament. 

Noye,  says  Clarendon,  **was  wrought  upon  by 
degrees  by  the  great  persons  that  steered  the  public 
affairs  to  be  an  instrument  in  all  their  designs,  turning 
his  learning  and  industry  to  the  discovery  of  sources  of 
revenue,  and  to  the  justifying  them  when  found — 
thinking  that  he  could  not  give  a  clearer  testimony  that 
his  knowledge  of  the  law  was  greater  than  all  other 
men's,  than  by  making  that  law  which  all  other  men 
believed  to  be  not  so.  So  he  moulded,  framed,  and  pur- 
sued the  odious  and  crying  project  of  soap,  and  with  his 
own  hand  drew  and  prepared  the  writ  for  ship-money, 
both  which  will  be  lasting  monuments  of  his  fame." 

'  FaiiiHia!-  Letters,  ed.  1678,  p.  233. 


WILLIAM    NOYE  333 

About  the  soap  monopoly  presently. 

The  first  writ  was  issued  by  the  Lords  of  the  Council 
*'for  the  assessing  and  levying  of  the  ship-money 
against  this  next  spring,"  on  the  20th  October,  1634. 
It  was  signed  by  the  King,  and  was  addressed  to  the 
mayor,  commonalty  and  citizens  of  London,  and  to  the 
sheriffs  and  good  men  in  the  said  city  and  in  the  liberties 
thereof.  They  were  commanded  by  the  ist  March  to 
provide  one  ship  of  war  of  900  tons  with  350  men  at 
the  least,  one  other  ship  of  war  of  800  tons  and  260 
men  at  the  least,  four  other  ships  of  war  of  500  tons 
with  200  men  in  each,  and  another  ship  of  war  of  300 
tons  with  150  men.  They  were  further  ordered  to  sup- 
ply those  ships  with  guns,  powder,  and  all  necessary 
arms,  with  double  tackling,  provisions,  and  stores  ;  as 
also  to.  defray  at  their  charges  the  men's  wages  for 
twenty-six  weeks.  The  Common  Council  remonstrated, 
declaring  that  by  their  ancient  liberties  they  ought  to 
be  free  from  any  such  burden  ;  but  the  Privy  Council 
rejected  the  remonstrance,  and  compelled  submission. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  following  year,  1635,  the 
writs,  after  having  been  served  along  the  sea-board, 
were  sent  to  the  inland  counties,  but  from  them  money 
was  asked  in  lieu  of  ships  at  the  rate  of  ^^3300  for 
every  ship,  and  the  local  magistrates  were  empowered 
to  assess  all  the  inhabitants  for  a  contribution. 

In  spite  of  the  resistance  offered  to  the  exaction  of 
this  tax  in  1635  ^"d  the  following  year  a  fleet  was 
raised,  the  Dutch  fishing  vessels  were  driven  from  the 
coast,  and  a  number  of  English  slaves  were  rescued 
from  Moorish  pirates. 

Howell   wrote   to    Mr.    Philip  Warwick   in   Paris :  ^ 

^  Familiar  Letters,  p.  239.  It  is  wrongly  dated,  June,  1634,  in  place 
of  1636.  The  dates  to  the  letters  were  in  many  cases  arbitrarily  assigned 
by  the  publisher. 


334  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

"The  greatest  news  we  have  here  is  that  we  have  a 
gallant  Fleet  Royal  ready  to  set  to  sea  for  the  security 
of  our  Coasts  and  Commerce,  and  for  the  sovereignty  of 
our  seas.  Hans  (the  Hanseatic  League)  said  the  King 
of  England  was  asleep  all  the  while,  but  now  he  is 
awake.  Nor,  do  I  hear,  doth  your  French  Cardinal 
tamper  any  longer  with  our  King's  title  and  right  to 
the  dominion  of  the  Narrow  Seas.  These  are  brave 
fruits  of  the  Ship-Money." 

The  King  was  still  in  great  straits  for  money,  and 
he  turned  for  help  to  Noye.  The  Parliament  had  in- 
sisted on  the  suppression  of  monopolies,  but  Charles 
revived  them  by  Noye's  advice  ;  and  for  the  sum  of 
iJ^io,ooo  which  they  paid  for  their  patent,  and  for  a 
duty  of  ;^8  upon  every  ton  of  soap  they  should  make, 
he  granted  to  a  company  a  charter  according  to  it  the 
exclusive  privilege  to  make  and  to  sell  soap.  The 
patent  had  a  proviso  in  it  permitting  every  soap-boiler 
then  exercising  his  trade  in  England  to  become  a  mem- 
ber of  the  chartered  company  ;  and  that  precious  turn- 
coat, Noye,  who  devised  the  project,  considered  that  in 
this  way  he  had  evaded  the  letter  of  the  law,  as  the 
Act  of  Parliament  forbidding  monopolies  had  been 
directed  against  individuals  and  against  some  two  or 
three  monopolists  favoured  by  the  Court.  These  in- 
corporated soap-boilers,  as  part  of  their  bargains, 
received  powers  to  appoint  searchers  ;  and  they  exer- 
cised a  sort  of  inquisition  over  the  trade.  Such  dealers 
as  resisted  their  interference,  or  tried  to  make  soap  on 
their  own  account,  were  handed  over  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  Star  Chamber. 

This  precedent  was  followed  by  the  creation  of  a 
similar  company  of  starch-makers. 

The  King  and  Laud,  who  had  been  promised  the 
primacy  on  the  death  of  Archbishop  Abbot,  were  em- 


I 


WILLIAM    NOYE  335 

barked  tosfether  on  an  evil  course.  Laud  believed  in 
the  Divine  Right  of  Kings,  and  he  was  a  man  totally 
devoid  of  suavity  of  manner  and  of  breadth  of  mind. 
He  would  compel  all  men  to  think  as  he  thought,  and 
act  as  he  chose.  That  wheat  and  tares  should  grow 
together  till  the  harvest  was  a  doctrine  of  the  Gospel 
he  could  not  comprehend,  and  his  energies  and  power 
were  directed  towards  the  forcible  uprooting  of  the 
tares  in  the  field  of  the  Church,  and  the  tares  were  the 
heterodox  Puritans.  Between  him  and  the  King  they 
would  allow  no  liberty  to  men  either  in  their  bodies 
and  goods,  or  in  their  souls  and  consciences.  That 
there  should  be  crabbed  and  crooked  sticks  Laud  would 
not  allow  ;  all  must  be  clean  and  straight  as  willow 
wands.  To  the  civil  despotism  alone  as  exercised  by 
Charles,  the  English  people  might  possibly  have  sub- 
mitted for  some  time  longer,  for  the  ship-money  had 
produced  the  desired  effect ;  but  the  scourge  of  Laud 
lashed  them  to  fury.  And  Noye  was  the  scourge  Laud 
employed  in  the  Star  Chamber.  Hammon  Le  Strange, 
in  his  Life  of  King  Charles  I,  says  that  Noye  became 
so  servilely  addicted  to  the  King's  prerogative,  by 
ferreting  out  old  penal  statutes  and  devising  new  ex- 
actions, that  he  was  the  most  pestilential  vexation  of  the 
subject  that  the  age  produced. 

When  William  Prynne,  a  barrister  of  Lincoln's  Inn, 
was  brought  (1634)  before  the  Star  Chamber  to  answer 
for  his  book  Histrio-Mastix,  or  the  Players'  Scourge, 
it  was  Noye  who  filed  information  against  him.  Prynne 
attacked  all  plays,  masques,  and  dances.  The  offence 
charged  against  him  was  this:  "  Although  he  knew  that 
His  Majesty's  royal  Queen,  the  Lords  of  the  Council, 
etc.  were  in  festivals  oftentimes  present  spectators  of 
some  masques  and  dances,  and  many  recreations  that 
were  tolerable  and  in  themselves  sinless,   and  so  de- 


336  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

clared  to  be  by  a  book  printed  in  the  time  of  His 
Majesty's  royal  father  ;  yet  Mr.  Prynne,  in  his  book, 
hath  railed  not  only  against  stage-plays,  comedies, 
dancings,  and  all  other  exercises  of  the  people,  and 
against  all  such  as  frequent  or  behold  them  ;  but 
further,  in  particular,  against  hunting,  public  festivals, 
Christmas-keeping,  bond-fires,  and  May-poles ;  nay, 
even  against  the  dressing  up  of  houses  with  green 
ivy."  He  was  further  accused  of  directly  casting 
aspersions  upon  the  Queen,  and  of  stirring  up  the 
people  to  discontent  against  the  King,  whom  he  had 
spoken  of  in  "  terms  unfit  for  so  sacred  a  person." 

The  whole  tenor  of  the  book,  according  to  Noye, 
was  not  less  against  the  Church  of  England  than 
against  these  amusements,  and  their  Sacred  Majesties 
for  countenancing  them.  "  The  music  in  the  Church," 
said  the  Attorney-General,  "the  charitable  terms  he 
giveth  it  is,  not  to  be  a  noise  of  men,  but  rather  a 
bleating  of  bruit  beasts  ;  choristers  bellow  the  tenor  as 
it  were  oxen,  bark  a  counter-point  as  a  kennel  of  dogs, 
roar  out  a  treble  like  a  sort  of  bulls,  grunt  out  a  bass 
as  it  were  a  number  of  hogs  .  .  .  also  his  general  cen- 
sure of  all  the  bishops  and  of  all  the  clergy  ;  they  scorn 
to  feed  the  poor — these  silk  and  satin  divines.  Very 
charitable  terms  upon  those  of  the  Church.  Christmas, 
as  it  is  kept,  is  a  devil's  Christmas — nay,  he  doth  bestow 
a  great  number  of  pages  to  make  men  affect  the  name 
of  Puritan,  as  though  Christ  were  a  Puritan,  and  so  he 
saith  in  his  Index." 

The  fact  was  Prynne  was  a  narrow-minded,  can- 
tankerous fanatic,  whose  only  idea  of  religion  was  of 
an  acrid  nature,  and  who  looked  upon  all  entertain- 
ments as  wicked.  He  complained  that  forty  thousand 
playbooks  had  been  sold  in  London,  and  that  there 
was  no  keen  demand  for  printed  sermons  ;   that  Ben 


WILLIAM    NOYE  337 

Jonson's  plays  and  poems  had  been  published  on  better 
paper  than  Bibles. 

Instead  of  treating  Prynne,  as  a  religious  maniac, 
with  good-humoured  contempt,  he  was  sentenced  by 
the  Star  Chamber  to  pay  ^10,000,  be  branded  on  the 
forehead,  have  his  nostril  slit,  and  his  ears  cropped. 
This  infamous  sentence  was  executed,  and  then  Prynne 
was  sent  to  the  Fleet,  where  he  was  to  endure  im- 
prisonment till  he  retracted  and  apologized.  So  far 
from  apologizing,  he  sent  from  the  Fleet  to  Laud  a 
stinging  letter  about  the  Star  Chamber  sentences, 
which  letter  Laud  showed  to  the  King,  and  then,  by 
the  King's  command,  showed  it  to  Noye.  Noye  had 
Prynne  forthwith  brought  to  his  chamber,  exhibited  the 
letter,  and  asked  him  whether  he  acknowledged  his 
handwriting.  Prynne  replied  that  he  could  not  tell 
unless  he  were  allowed  a  close  inspection  of  it.  The 
letter  being  then  placed  in  his  hands,  and  Mr.  Attorney 
Noye  having  retired  to  his  closet  for  a  pressing  neces- 
sity, Prynne,  when  his  back  was  turned,  tore  it  to 
shreds  and  threw  the  scraps  out  of  the  window.  Noye 
then  brought  Prynne  again  before  the  Star  Chamber, 
but  Laud  now  interfered,  and  urged  that  the  matter  of 
the  insulting  letter  might  not  be  pressed  against  him. 

In  1636,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  hold  of  ink  and 
paper,  this  incorrigible  pamphleteer  published  fresh 
attacks  on  the  bishops,  among  others  News  from 
Ipswich,  under  the  name  of  Matthew  White.  He 
was  again  dragged  before  the  Star  Chamber,  and  was 
fined  i^5000  and  ordered  to  lose  the  rest  of  his  ears, 
to  be  branded  on  both  cheeks  with  *'  S.  L."  for  "  Sedi- 
tious Libeller."  Noye,  however,  had  no  part  in  this 
final  persecution  ;  nor  did  he  live  to  see  the  results  to 
the  King  of  the  course  he  had  recommended  and  which 
had  been  pursued. 
z 


338  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

His  health  began  to  fail,  and  he  went  to  Tunbridge 
Wells  to  drink  the  waters.  They,  however,  did  him  no 
good,  and  he  died  on  the  9th  August,  1635,  ^^  the 
Wells,  and  was  buried  in  New  Brentford  Church  on 
the  ensuing  nth  August. 

Howell,  in  a  letter  to  Viscount  Savage  dated  ist 
October,  1635,  wrote:  **The  old  steward  of  your 
Courts,  Master  Attorney-General  Noy,  is  lately  dead, 
nor  could  Tunbridge  Waters  do  him  any  good. 
Though  he  had  good  matter  in  his  brain,  he  had,  it 
seems,  ill  materials  in  his  body,  for  his  heart  was 
shrivelled  like  a  leather  penny-purse  when  he  was 
dissected,  nor  were  his  lungs  found. 

''Being  such  a  Clerk  in  the  Law,  all  the  world 
wonders  he  left  such  an  odd  will,  which  is  short  and 
in  Latin.  The  substance  of  it  is,  that  he  having  be- 
queathed a  few  Leg;acies,  and  left  his  second  son  one 
hundred  marks  a  year,  and  nine  hundred  pounds  in 
money,  enough  to  bring  him  up  in  his  Father's  Pro- 
fession, he  concludes  :  Reliqua  ineoriim  omnia  primo- 
genito  nieo  Edwardo,  dissipanda  nee  melius  unquam 
(speravi)  lego :  I  leave  the  rest  of  my  goods  to  my  first- 
born Edward  (mistake  for  Humphry),  to  be  consum'd 
or  scattered  (for  I  never  hoped  better).  A  strange,  and 
scarce  a  Christian  Will,  in  my  opinion,  for  it  argues 
uncharitableness.  Nor  doth  the  world  wonder  lesse, 
that  he  should  leave  no  Legacy  to  some  of  your  Lord- 
ship's children,  considering  what  deep  obligations  he 
had  to  your  Lordship ;  for  I  am  confident  he  had 
never  bin  Attorney-General  else." 

Hals  tells  this  story  of  Noye:  "The  Attorney-General 
on  a  day  havinge  King  Charles  I  and  the  principal 
officers  and  nobilitie  of  his  court,  at  a  dinner  at  his 
house  in  London,  at  which  tyme  the  arch  poet  Ben 
Jonson,  and  others  being  at  an  inne,  on  the  other  side 


I 


WILLIAM    NOYE  339 

the  street ;  and  wantinge  both  meate  and  money  for 
their  subsistance,  at  that  exigent  resolved  to  trye  an 
expedient,  to  gett  his  dinner  from  the  Attorney- 
General's  table,  in  order  to  which,  by  the  landlord  of 
the  inne  aforesaid,  he  sent  a  white  timber  plate  or 
trencher  to  him,  when  the  King  was  sate  downe  to 
table,  whereon  was  inscribed  these  words : — 

When  the  world  was  drown'd 
Nor  deer  was  found, 

Because  there  was  noe  park  ; 
And  here  I  sitt, 
Without  e're  a  bitt, 

Cause  Noah  hath  all  in  his  Arke. 

Which  plate  beinge  presented  by  the  Attorney- 
Generall  to  the  Kinge,  produced  this  effect ;  that  Jon- 
son  had  a  good  dish  of  venison  sent  him  back  by  the 
bearer  to  his  great  content  and  satisfaction,  on  which 
aforesaid  plate,  by  the  King's  direction,  Jonson's 
rhymes  were  thus  inverted  or  contradicted  : — 

When  the  world  was  drown'd 
There  deer  was  found, 

Although  there  was  noe  park  ; 
I  send  thee  a  bitt, 
To  quicken  thy  witt, 

Which  com'  from  Noya's  Ark. 

William  Noye  anagram,  I  Moyle  in  law.  He  was 
the  blowcoal  incendiary  or  stirrer  up  of  the  occasion  of 
the  civill  wars  between  Kinge  Charles  and  his  Parlia- 
ment, by  assertinge  and  setting  up  the  King's  prero- 
gative to  the  highest  pitch,  as  King  James  I  had  done 
before,  beyond  the  laws  of  the  land  as  aforesaid.  And 
as  counsill  for  the  Kinge  he  prosecuted  for  Kinge 
Charles  I  the  imprisoned  members  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  1628,  viz.  Sir  John  Ellyot,  Mr.  Coryton  and 
others." 

Noye   died   in    1638.      Hals  adds :     "  He    had   the 


340  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

principal  hand  in  the  most  oppressive  expedients  for 
raising  money  for  the  King,  and  seems  not  to  have 
had  the  least  notion  of  public  spirit.  He  was,  in  a 
word,  a  man  of  an  enlarged  head  and  a  contracted 
heart." 

His  portrait,  formerly  possessed  by  Davies  Gilbert,  ^ 
has  been  engraved  in  Polwhele's  Biographical  Sketches 
in  Cornwall.  The  eldest  son,  Edward,  was  killed  in  a 
duel  by  Captain  Byron  in  France  in  1636,  and  then 
Carnanton  passed  to  his  brother  Humphrey,  a  colonel 
in  King  Charles'  army,  and  Commissioner  of  the  Peace 
for  the  County  of  Cornwall.  He  married  Hester, 
daughter  of  Henry  Sandys,  and  sister  and  coheiress 
of  George  Lord  Sandys  of  the  Vine.  He  was  as 
worthless  a  fellow  as  his  elder  brother  Edward,  and 
William  Noye,  the  father,  foresaw  the  ruin  of  the 
family  estates  to  whichever  of  his  sons  they  fell  ; 
for,  in  default  of  male  issue,  they  were  to  go  to 
Humphrey  Noye,  not  Edward  as  Howell  states. 
Humphrey  by  his  bad  conduct,  riot  and  excess, 
lost  all  the  estate  left  him  by  his  father  except 
Carnanton,  and  for  many  years  lived  on  the  charity  of 
his  friends  and  on  dishonest  tricks  ;  for  being  a  magis- 
trate and  generally  chairman  at  the  sessions,  he  took 
bribes  to  pervert  judgment ;  acquitting  felons,  etc.,  till 
at  last  he  was  detected  and  struck  out  of  the  Commis- 
sion. Hals  says  :  "  After  which  growinge  scandalous 
for  these  and  other  misdemeanours,  he  was  slighted  by 
his  former  friends,  and  put  to  great  hardships  to  get  a 
subsistance  necessary  for  the  life  of  man  (his  creditors 
beinge  upon  mortgages  in  possession  of  his  whole 
estate).  However,  it  happened  some  time  before  his 
death,  that  upon  puttinge  his  hand  and  scale  with  his 
creditors  for  conveying  the  manor  of  Amell  and  Trylly 

^  Now  by  Carevv  Davies  Gilbert,  Esq.,  of  Trelisseck. 


II 


WILLIAM    NOYE  341 

in  Penwith  to  his  son-in-lawe,  Mr.  Davies,  on  marrying 
with  his  daughter  Katherine,  he  had  by  them  pay'd  him 
in  cash  iJ^ioo  in  consideration  thereof.  Soon  after  the 
receipt  of  which  money  he  sicken'd  and  dyed  at  Thomas 
Wills'  house  in  S.  Colomb  Towne,  and  left  ;^8o  in 
cash,  about  the  yeare  1683  ;  which  was  more  money 
than  he  was  possest  of  at  one  tyme  for  about  twenty 
yeares  before  ;  and  the  last  words  that  he  was  heard  to 
speake,  as  his  soule  passed  out  of  this  life,  was  :  '  Lord, 
where  am  I  goinge  now  ? '  " 

Humphrey  Noye  had  two  sons,  but  both  predeceased 
him  and  died  without  issue.  His  daughter  Hester 
married  Henry  Davies,  of  Buryan,  and  had  by  him  a 
son,  William,  who  left  issue  two  daughters  only. 

Catherine,  the  second  daughter,  married  in  1679 
William  Davies,  of  Bosworgy,  who  by  her  left  issue 
John  Davies  of  Ednovean,  whose  daughter  Catherine 
married  the  Rev.  Edward  Giddy,  whose  son  Davies 
Giddy  assumed  the  name  and  arms  of  Gilbert. 

The  third  daughter,  Bridgeman,  married  John 
Willyams,  of  Roxworthy,  but  died  childless.  After  her 
death  Willyams  married  Dorothy,  daughter  of  Peter 
Daye,  gent.,  and  by  her  had  issue,  and  the  family  of 
Willyams  to  this  day  possesses  Carnanton. 

The  arms  of  Noye  are  azure^  three  crosses  crosslets, 
in  bend,  argent. 


WILLIAM    LEMON 

WILLIAM  LEMON  was  the  son  of  a  Wil- 
liam Lemon,  of  Germoe,  in  humble  cir- 
cumstances ;  he  was  baptized  at  Breage, 
15th  November,  1696  ;  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Rodda.  As  a  lad  he  obtained  a 
smattering  of  knowledge  at  a  village  school,  sufficient 
to  enable  him  to  enter  an  office  as  clerk  to  a  Mr. 
Coster.  The  story  was  told  of  him  that  as  a  boy  he 
had  formed  one  link  of  a  living  chain,  which,  con- 
nected only  by  the  grasp  of  their  hands,  extended 
itself  into  a  tremendous  surf,  and  rescued  several 
persons  who  had  been  shipwrecked. 

Whilst  still  young  he  became  manager  of  a  tin- 
smelting  house  at  Chiandower,  near  Penzance,  and 
speedily  acquired  a  great  knowledge  of  mining  in 
Cornwall.  In  1724  he  married  Isabella  Vibert,  of 
Tolver-in-Gulval,  and  with  her  received  a  sufficient 
fortune^  to  enable  him  to  indulge  in  speculations  in 
mines,  and  these  turned  out  so  happily  that  he  em- 
barked still  further  in  mining  ventures.  He  was  the 
first  who  conceived  the  project  of  working  the  mines 
upon  a  grand  scale,  and  not  of  running  them  by  small 
bands  of  adventurers.  A  new  era  in  mining  opened 
with  the  introduction  of  the  steam-pump,  and  the  first, 
invented  by  Newcomen,  of  Dartmouth,  was  used  in  the 
Great  Work  at  Breage.    William  Lemon  associated  with 

^  It  came  to  her  by  bequest  of  her  godmother,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Noles, 
who  had  acquired  a  fortune  by  business  at  Chiandower. 

342 


I'VlIliaim  JLennom  E&rjf 


J>%'    jZl^  i!jfl.!<l 


Crond  -  father 


R  .  POLWHELE 


WILLIAM    LEMON  343 

himself  George  Blewett,  of  Marazion,  and  a  Mr. 
Dewin,  and  these  three  commenced  working  a  mine  on 
a  farm  called  Truvel,  in  Ludgvan,  the  property  of 
Lord  Godolphin,  and  named  Wheal  Fortune,  where 
the  second  steam-engine  was  employed. 

Mr.  Lemon  is  said  to  have  realized  ;^io,ooo  out  of 
Wheal  Fortune,  and  this  enabled  him  to  extend  his 
operations.  He  removed  to  Truro,  and  commenced 
working  the  great  Gwennap  Mines  on  a  scale  unprece- 
dented in  Cornwall.  Carnan  Adit  was  either  actually 
commenced,  or  at  least  was  effectively  prosecuted,  by 
Mr.  Lemon  ;  and  as  his  means  increased  he  soon 
became  the  principal  merchant  and  tin-smelter  in 
Cornwall. 

But  he  was  keenly  alive  to  his  deficient  education. 
He  was  shrewd,  could  calculate,  but  had  no  knowledge 
of  English  literature,  and  his  spelling  was  remarkable. 
However,  he  set  vigorously  to  work  to  correct  his 
defects,  and  late  in  life  placed  himself  under  the  tuition 
of  Mr.  Conon,  master  of  the  Truro  Grammar  School, 
and  even  acquired  a  certain — not,  certainly,  very  exten- 
sive— knowledge  of  Latin. 

Mr.  Lemon  had  a  favourite  tame  Cornish  chough 
that  would  always  obey  his  call.  If  he  were  walking  on 
Truro  Green,  or  through  the  streets,  the  chough  would 
fly  to  him  instantly  at  his  whistle,  though  it  had  been 
associating  with  other  birds  or  perched  on  a  house-top. 

It  so  happened  that  John  Thomas,  afterwards  the 
Warden  of  the  Stannaries,  but  then  a  boy  at  Conon's 
school,  taking  his  gun,  contrary  to  the  rules  of  the 
school,  and  going  out  shooting,  unluckily  killed  the 
chough.  This  produced  a  great  outcry,  and  when  he 
was  told  that  this  was  Mr.  Lemon's  favourite  bird, 
he  strongly  suspected  that  the  least  punishment  he 
would    receive  would  be  a  flogging  from  his  school- 


344  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

master  and  a  hiding  as  well  from  Mr.  Lemon.  But 
Thomas  took  courage,  went  to  Mr.  Lemon's  house, 
knocked  at  the  door,  was  admitted  to  Mr.  Lemon,  and 
trembling  and  in  tears  confessed  what  he  had  done. 
Mr.  Lemon  paused  a  moment,  and  then  said  that  he 
was  sorry  for  the  poor  bird,  but  freely  forgave  the  little 
delinquent  on  account  of  his  candour  in  acknowledging 
his  fault,  and  more  than  that,  he  promised  to  keep  it  a 
secret,  and  if  it  should  reach  Conon's  ears,  would  inter- 
cede for  him. 

In  1742  he  was  Sheriff  for  the  county.  He  became 
one  of  the  Truro  magistrates,  and  might,  had  he  cared 
for  it,  have  been  elected  as  a  member  for  one  or  other  of 
the  Cornish  boroughs. 

He  was  author  of  a  lucid  argument  written  to  Sir 
Robert  Walpole  to  obtain  the  withdrawal  of  a  tax 
levied  on  coals,  and  which  acted  prejudicially  on  the 
Cornish  mines.  The  presentation  of  this  memorial  is 
thought  to  have  been  instrumental  in  obtaining  for 
him,  from  Frederick,  Prince  of  Wales,  a  grant  of  all 
minerals  found  in  Cornwall,  with  the  exception  of  tin  ; 
and  the  Prince  likewise  sent  him  a  present  of  silver 
plate. 

He  bought  Carclew  in  1749,  and  died  at  Truro, 
25th  March,  1760,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  life. 

He  and  his  wife  had  one  son  only,  William  Lemon, 
junior,  who  died  some  years  before  his  father,  leaving 
two  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  elder.  Sir  William 
Lemon,  Bart.,^  represented  the  county  of  Cornwall  in 
Parliament  during  fifty  years. 

As  an  instance  of  the  respect  paid  to  the  genius,  and 
above  all  the  wealth  of  Mr.  Lemon,  the  people  of  Truro 
are  said  to  have  drawn  back  from  their  doors  and  win- 
dows as  he  passed  through  the  street,  and  the   Rev. 

^  Created  Baronet  jid  Ma}',  1774. 


WILLIAM    LEMON  345 

Samuel  Walker,  when  exhorting  children  at  cate- 
chizing to  be  circumspect  in  the  presence  of  Almighty 
God,  said:  "Only  think,  dear  children,  how  care- 
ful you  would  be  if  Mr.  Lemon  were  looking  upon 
you." 

Sir  William's  eldest  son.  Major  William  Lemon, 
shot  himself  at  Princes  Street,  Hanover  Square, 
London,  early  in  1799,  when  a  young  man  of  only 
twenty-five. 

The  baronetcy  is  now  extinct,  and  Carclew  is  the 
residence  and  property  of  Captain  W.  Tremayne. 


SAMUEL    DREW 

THE  life  of  Samuel  Drew  was  written  by  his 
eldest  son,  and  published  by  Longman, 
Rees,  and  Co.  in  1834.  ^^  *s  a  volume  of 
534  pages,  and  probably  few  would  be  dis- 
posed to  wade  through  it.  Of  his  early  days  by  far 
the  brighter  account  is  that  furnished  by  himself  to 
Mr.  R.  Polwhele  ;  but  the  son  supplies  some  anecdotes 
that  may  be  quoted. 

"  I  was  born  on  the  3rd  March,  1765,  in  an  obscure 
cottage  in  the  parish  of  S.  Austell,  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  distant  from  the  town.  My  father  was  a 
common  labourer,  and  had  through  mere  dint  of 
manual  labour  to  provide  for  himself,  a  wife,  and  four 
children,  of  whom  I  was  the  second.  One  child  died  in 
infancy,  and  at  the  age  of  nine  years  ^  I  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  my  mother."  Rather  more  than  a  year 
before  the  death  of  Mrs.  Drew,  Samuel  was  set  to  work 
at  a  neighbouring  stamping-mill  as  a  buddle-boy^  and 
for  his  services  his  father  received  three-halfpence  a 
day,  but  this  was  raised  later  to  twopence,  the  largest 
sum  Samuel  realized  in  that  employment,  though  he 
continued  to  work  at  it  for  more  than  two  years. 

Not  long  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  Samuel's  father 
took  a  woman  named  Bate  into  the  house,  to  act  as 
housekeeper  ;  and  in  the  second  year  of  his  widowhood 
he  married  her,  to  the  disgust  of  his  children.     When 

1  Samuel  Drew  says  at  the  age  of  five,  but  this  was  a  slip  of  his  pen 
or  a  mistake  of  the  printer  ;  his  mother  died  in  1774. 

346 


7.  Moore,  fin.^ 


K.  llicks.iilUp. 


SAMUEI.    DKhW 


SAMUEL   DREW  347 

she  was  entertaining  her  friends  and  gossips  at  tea  after 
the  wedding,  Samuel  discharged  a  syringeful  of  water 
over  the  party.  This  was  more  than  she  could  put  up 
with,  and  Samuel  had  to  be  sent  away  and  apprenticed 
to  a  shoemaker  named  Baker,  in  the  parish  of  S.  Blazey. 

He  says  himself:  "My  father,  being  exceedingly  poor, 
felt  much  embarrassment  in  finding  a  premium  to  give 
to  my  master,  with  whom,  at  the  age  of  ten  years  and  a 
half,  I  was  bound  an  apprentice  for  nine  years,  which 
length  of  time,  together  with  five  pounds  five  shillings, 
was  considered  by  my  master  as  a  suitable  bargain.  It 
was  at  this  tender  age  that  I  bid  adieu  to  my  father's 
habitation,  and  as  a  place  of  residence  have  never 
entered  it  since.  The  little  knowledge  of  writing 
which  I  had  acquired  from  my  father  was  almost 
entirely  lost  during  my  apprenticeship  ;  I  had,  how- 
ever, an  opportunity  at  intervals  of  perusing  Goadby's 
Weekly  Entertainer^  and  used  to  puzzle  my  little  head 
about  riddles  and  enigmas,  and  felt  much  pleasure  in 
perusing  the  anecdotes  which  were  occasionally  inter- 
spersed through  the  pages." 

Whilst  at  the  shoemaker's  a  curious  incident  occurred : 
"There  were  several  of  us,  boys  and  men,  out  about 
twelve  o'clock  on  a  bright  moonlight  night.  I  think 
we  were  poaching.  The  party  were  in  a  field  adjoining 
the  road  leading  from  my  master's  to  S.  Austell,  and  I 
was  stationed  outside  the  hedge  to  watch  and  give  the 
alarm  if  any  intruder  should  appear.  While  thus  occu- 
pied I  heard  what  appeared  to  be  the  sound  of  a  horse 
approaching  from  the  town,  and  I  gave  a  signal.  My 
companions  paused  and  came  to  the  hedge  where  I  was, 
to  see  the  passenger.  They  looked  through  the  bushes, 
and  I  drew  myself  close  to  the  hedge,  that  I  might  not 
be  observed.  The  sound  increased,  and  the  supposed 
horseman    seemed   drawing   near.     The  clatter  of  the 


348  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

hoofs  became  more  and  more  distinct.  We  all  looked 
to  see  who  and  what  it  was,  and  I  was  seized  with  a 
strange,  indefinable  feeling  of  dread  ;  when,  instead  of 
a  horse,  there  appeared  coming  towards  us,  at  an  easy 
pace,  but  with  the  same  sound  which  first  caught 
my  ear,  a  creature  about  the  height  of  a  large  dog. 
It  went  close  by  me,  and  as  it  passed,  it  turned  upon 
me  and  my  companions  huge  fiery  eyes  that  struck 
terror  to  all  our  hearts.  The  road  where  I  stood 
branched  off  in  two  directions,  in  one  of  which  there 
was  a  gate  across.  Towards  the  gate  it  moved,  and, 
without  any  apparent  obstruction,  went  on  at  its  regular 
trot,  which  we  heard  several  minutes  after  it  had  dis- 
appeared. Whatever  it  was,  it  put  an  end  to  our 
occupation,  and  we  made  the  best  of  our  way  home. 

"  I  have  often  endeavoured  in  later  years,  but  with- 
out success,  to  account,  on  natural  principles,  for  what 
I  then  heard  and  saw.  As  to  the  facts,  I  am  sure  there 
was  no  deception.  It  was  a  night  of  unusual  bright- 
ness, occasioned  by  a  cloudless  full  moon.  The  crea- 
ture was  unlike  any  animal  I  had  then  seen,  but  from 
my  present  recollections  it  had  much  the  appearance  of 
a  bear,  with  a  dark  shaggy  coat.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  unearthly  lustre  of  its  eyes,  and  its  passing 
through  the  gate  as  it  did,  there  would  be  no  reason  to 
suppose  it  anything  more  than  an  animal  perhaps 
escaped  from  some  menagerie.  That  it  did  pass  through 
the  gate  without  pause  or  hesitation  I  am  perfectly 
clear.  Indeed,  we  all  saw  it,  and  saw  that  the  gate 
was  shut,  from  which  we  were  not  distant  more  than 
twenty  or  thirty  yards.  The  bars  were  too  close  to 
admit  the  passage  of  an  animal  of  half  its  apparent 
bulk  ;  yet  this  creature  went  through  without  effort  or 
variation  of  its  pace." 

He  was  roughly  and  cruelly  treated  by  his  master, 


SAMUEL    DREW  349 

who  would  beat  him  with  the  last,  and  at  one  time  for  a 
while  maimed  him.  At  length  he  felt  that  he  could 
endure  the  bondage  no  more,  and  with  sixteen-pence 
ha'penny  in  his  pocket  he  ran  away  with  the  intention 
of  going  to  Plymouth  and  seeking  a  berth  on  board  a 
man-of-war. 

At  this  time  Sam's  father  was  in  somewhat  better 
circumstances.  He  was  chiefly  employed  in  what  was 
called  riding  Sherborne.  There  was  at  that  time  scarcely 
a  bookseller  in  Cornwall  ;  and  the  only  newspaper 
known  among  the  common  people  was  the  Sherborne 
Mercury^  published  weekly  by  Goadby  and  Co.,  who 
also  issued  the  Weekly  Entertainer.  The  papers  were 
not  sent  by  post,  but  by  private  messengers,  who  were 
termed  Sherborne  men.  Drew,  senior,  was  one  of  these. 
Between  Plymouth  and  Penzance  were  two  stages  on 
the  main  road,  each  about  forty  miles  ;  and  there  were 
branch  riders,  in  different  directions,  who  held  regular 
communication  with  each  other  and  with  the  establish- 
ment at  Sherborne.  Their  business  was  to  deliver  the 
newspapers.  Entertainers,  and  any  books  that  had  been 
ordered,  to  collect  the  money,  and  to  take  fresh  orders. 
Mr.  Drew's  stage  was  from  S.  Austell  to  Plymouth. 
He  always  set  off  on  his  journey  early  on  Monday 
morning  and  returned  on  Wednesday. 

When  Samuel  Drew  had  made  up  his  mind  to  run 
away,  he  did  not  choose  the  direct  road  for  fear  of  en- 
countering his  father,  but  took  that  by  Liskeard. 

*'  I  went  on  through  the  night,  and  feeling  fatigued, 
went  into  a  hay-field  and  slept.  My  luggage  was  no 
encumbrance  ;  as  the  whole  of  my  property,  besides 
the  clothes  1  wore,  was  contained  in  a  small  handker- 
chief. Not  knowing  how  long  I  should  have  to  depend 
on  my  slender  stock  of  cash,  I  found  it  necessary  to 
use  the  most  rigid  economy.     Having  to   pass   over 


350  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

either  a  ferry  or  toll-bridge,  for  which  I  had  to  pay  a 
halfpenny,  feeling  my  present  situation,  and  knowing 
nothing  of  my  future  prospects,  this  small  call  upon 
my  funds  distressed  me,  I  wept  as  I  went  on  my  way. 
The  exertion  of  walking  and  the  fresh  morning  air 
gave  me  a  keener  appetite  than  I  thought  it  pru- 
dent to  indulge.  I,  however,  bought  a  penny  loaf, 
and  with  a  halfpenny-worth  of  milk  in  a  farmer's  house 
ate  half  of  my  loaf  for  breakfast.  In  passing  through 
Liskeard  my  attention  was  attracted  by  a  shoemaker's 
shop,  in  the  door  of  which  a  respectable-looking  man, 
whom  I  supposed  to  be  the  master,  was  standing. 
Without  any  intention  of  seeking  employment  in  this 
place,  I  asked  him  if  he  could  give  me  work  ;  and  he, 
taking  compassion,  I  suppose,  on  my  sorry  appear- 
ance, promised  to  employ  me  the  next  morning.  Be- 
fore I  could  go  to  work  tools  were  necessary  ;  and  I  was 
obliged  to  lay  out  a  shilling  on  these.  Dinner,  under 
such  circumstances,  was  out  of  the  question  ;  for  supper 
I  bought  another  halfpenny-worth  of  milk,  ate  the  re- 
mainder of  my  loaf,  and  for  a  lodging  again  had 
recourse  to  the  fields.  The  next  morning  I  purchased 
another  penny  loaf  and  renewed  my  labour.  My  em- 
ployer soon  found  that  I  was  a  miserable  tool,  yet  he 
treated  me  kindly.  I  had  now  but  one  penny  left,  and 
this  I  wished  to  husband  till  my  labour  brought  a 
supply ;  so  for  dinner  I  tied  my  apron-strings  tighter 
and  went  on  with  my  work.  My  abstinence  subjected 
me  to  the  jeers  of  my  shopmates.  One  of  them  said  to 
another,  '  Where  does  our  shopmate  dine  ? '  and  the 
response  was,  '  Oh  !  he  always  dines  at  the  sign  of  the 
Mouth.'  Half  of  the  penny  loaf  which  I  took  with  me 
in  the  morning  I  had  allotted  for  my  supper;  but 
before  night  came  I  had  pinched  it  nearly  all  away  in 
mouthfuls  through  mere  hunger.     Very  reluctantly  I 


SAMUEL   DREW  351 

laid  out  my  last  penny,  and  with  no  enviable  feelings 
sought  my  former  lodging  in  the  open  air." 

But  on  the  following  day  Samuel's  father,  having 
learned  where  he  was,  came  to  remove  him  and  take 
him  back  to  S.  Austell.  Compensation  was  made  to 
Baker,  his  indenture  was  cancelled,  and  he  remained 
at  Polpea,  where  Mr.  Drew  now  had  a  little  farm,  for 
about  four  months. 

Drew,  the  father,  not  only  was  occupied  as  a  Sher- 
borne rider,  but  he  was  also  a  contractor  for  carrying 
the  mail  between  S.  Austell  and  Bodmin,  and  he 
chiefly  employed  his  eldest  son,  Jabez,  in  carrying  the 
mails. 

'*  At  one  time  in  the  depth  of  winter  I  was  borrowed 
to  supply  my  brother's  place,  and  I  had  to  travel  in 
the  darkness  of  night  through  frost  and  snow  a  dreary 
journey,  out  and  home,  of  more  than  twenty  miles. 
Being  overpowered  with  fatigue,  I  fell  asleep  on  the 
horse's  neck,  and  when  I  awoke  discovered  that  I  had 
lost  my  hat.  The  wind  was  keen  and  piercing,  and 
I  was  bitterly  cold.  I  stopped  the  horse  and  en- 
deavoured to  find  out  where  I  was  ;  but  it  was  so  dark 
•that  I  could  scarcely  distinguish  the  hedges  on  each 
side  of  the  road,  and  I  had  no  means  of  ascertaining 
how  long  I  had  been  asleep  or  how  far  I  had  travelled. 
1  then  dismounted  and  looked  around  for  my  hat ;  but 
seeing  nothing  of  it,  I  turned  back,  leading  the  horse, 
determined  to  find  it  if  possible  ;  for  the  loss  of  a  hat 
was  to  me  of  serious  consequence.  Shivering  with 
cold,  I  pursued  my  solitary  way,  scrutinizing  the  road 
at  every  step,  until  I  had  walked  about  two  miles,  and 
was  on  the  point  of  giving  up  the  search,  when  I  came 
to  a  receiving  house,  where  I  ought  to  have  delivered 
a  packet  of  letters,  but  had  passed  it  when  asleep.  To 
this  place  the  post  usually  came  about  one  o'clock  in 


352  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

the  morning,  and  it  was  customary  to  leave  a  window 
unfastened,  except  by  a  large  stone  outside,  that  the 
family  might  not  be  disturbed  at  so  unseasonable  an 
hour.  I  immediately  put  the  letter-bag  through  the 
window,  and  having  replaced  the  stone,  was  turning 
round  to  my  horse,  when  I  perceived  my  hat  lying 
close  to  my  feet.  I  suppose  that  the  horse,  knowing 
the  place,  must  have  stopped  at  the  window  for  me  to 
deliver  my  charge  ;  but  having  waited  until  his  patience 
was  exhausted,  had  pursued  his  way  to  the  next  place. 
My  hat  must  have  been  shaken  off  by  his  impatient 
movements." 

The  remarkable  thing  about  this  incident  is  that  the 
horse  was  quite  blind,  yet  it  could  go  its  accustomed 
road,  and  stop  at  accustomed  places,  without  seeing. 
By  all  the  family  this  sagacious  animal  was  much 
prized,  but  Samuel's  father  felt  for  it  a  special  regard  ; 
and  the  attachment  between  the  master  and  his  faithful 
servant  was,  to  all  appearance,  mutual.  Many  years 
before,  the  poor  beast,  in  a  wretched  condition  from 
starvation  and  ill-usage,  had  been  turned  out  on  a 
common  to  die.  The  owner  willingly  sold  it  for  little 
more  than  the  value  of  the  hide  ;  and  his  new  possessor, 
having  by  care  and  kindness  restored  it  to  health  and 
strength,  soon  found  that  he  had  made  a  most  ad- 
vantageous bargain.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he 
and  his  blind  companion  travelled  the  road  together. 
After  the  horse  was  past  labour  it  was  kept  in 
the  orchard  and  tended  with  almost  parental  care. 
Latterly  it  became  unable  to  bite  the  grass,  and  the  old 
man  regularly  fed  it  with  bread  sopped  in  milk.  In 
the  morning  it  would  put  its  head  over  the  orchard 
railing,  towards  its  master's  bedroom,  and  give  its 
accustomed  neigh,  whereupon  old  Mr.  Drew  would 
jump  out  of    bed,  open   the  window,  and  call  to  the 


SAMUEL    DREW  353 

horse,  '*  My  poor  old  fellow,  I  will  be  with  thee  soon." 
And  when  the  animal  died,  he  would  not  allow  the 
skin  or  shoes  to  be  taken  off,  but  had  the  carcase 
buried  entire. 

Samuel    tells   another    story    of    instinct    in    brute 
beasts  : — 

**  Our  dairy  was  under  a  room  which  was  used  occa- 
sionally as  a  barn  and  apple-chamber,  into  which  the 
fowls  sometimes  found  their  way,  and,  in  scratching 
among  the  chaff,  scattered  the  dust  on  the  pans  of  milk 
below,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  my  mother-in-law. 
In  this  a  favourite  cock  of  hers  was  the  chief  trans- 
gressor. One  day  in  harvest  she  went  into  the  dairy, 
followed  by  her  little  dog,  and  finding  dust  again 
thrown  on  the  milk-pans,  she  exclaimed,  '  I  wish  that 
cock  were  dead  ! '  Not  long  after,  she  being  with  us 
in  the  harvest  field,  we  observed  the  little  dog  drag- 
ging along  the  cock,  just  killed,  which  with  an  air  of 
triumph  he  laid  at  my  mother-in-law's  feet.  She  was 
dreadfully  exasperated  at  the  literal  fulfilment  of  her 
hastily  uttered  wish,  and,  snatching  a  stick  from  the 
hedge,  attempted  to  give  the  luckless  dog  a  beating. 
The  dog,  seeing  the  reception  he  was  likely  to  meet 
with,  where  he  expected  marks  of  approbation,  left  the 
bird  and  ran  off,  she  brandishing  her  stick  and  saying 
in  a  loud,  angry  tone,  '  I'll  pay  thee  for  this  by  and  by.' 
In  the  evening  she  was  about  to  put  her  threat  into 
execution,  when  she  found  the  little  dog  established  in 
a  corner  of  the  room  and  a  large  one  standing  before 
it.  Endeavouring  to  fulfil  her  intention  by  first  driv- 
ing off  the  large  dog,  he  gave  her  plainly  to  under- 
stand that  he  was  not  at  all  disposed  to  relinquish  his 
post.  She  then  sought  to  get  at  the  small  dog  behind 
the  other,  but  the  threatening  gesture  and  fiercer  growl 
of  the  large  one  sufficiently  indicated  that  the  attempt 
2  A 


354  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

would  be  not  a  little  perilous.  The  result  was  that  she 
was  obliged  to  abandon  her  design.  In  killing  the 
cock  I  can  scarcely  think  the  dog  understood  the  pre- 
cise import  of  my  stepmother's  wish,  as  his  immediate 
execution  of  it  would  seem  to  imply.  The  cock  was  a 
more  recent  favourite,  and  had  received  some  atten- 
tions which  had  been  previously  bestowed  upon  him- 
self. This,  I  think,  had  led  him  to  entertain  a  feeling 
of  hostility  to  the  bird,  which  he  did  not  presume  to 
indulge  until  my  mother's  tone  and  manner  indicated 
that  the  cock  was  no  longer  under  her  protection.  In 
the  power  of  communicating  with  each  other  which 
these  dogs  evidently  possessed,  and  which,  in  some 
instances,  has  been  displayed  by  this  species  of 
animal,  a  faculty  seems  to  be  developed  of  which  we  know 
very  little.  On  the  whole,  I  never  remember  to  have 
met  with  a  case  in  which,  to  human  appearance,  there 
was  a  nearer  approach  to  moral  perception  than  in  that 
of  my  father's  two  dogs." 

Samuel  Drew  remained  with  his  father's  family  from 
midsummer,  1782,  till  the  autumn  of  the  same  year, 
and  then  took  a  situation  in  a  s'hoemaker's  shop  at  Mill- 
brook,  on  the  Cornish  side  of  the  estuary  of  the  Tamar. 
After  having  been  there  for  a  year  he  moved  to  Caw- 
sand  and  then  to  Crafthole,  where  he  got  mixed  up  in 
smuggling  ventures. 

Port  Wrinkle,  which  Crafthole  adjoins,  lies  about 
the  middle  of  the  extensive  bay  reaching  from  Looe 
Island  to  the  Rame  Head.  It  is  little  more  than  a 
fissure  among  the  rocks  which  guard  the  long  line  of 
coast ;  and  being  exposed  to  the  uncontrolled  violence 
of  the  prevailing  winds,  affords  a  very  precarious 
shelter. 

Notice  was  given  through  Crafthole  one  evening, 
about  the  month  of  December,  1784,  that  a  vessel  laden 


SAMUEL    DREW  355 

with  contraband  goods  was  on  the  coast,  and  would  be 
ready  to  discharge  her  cargo.  At  nightfall  Samuel 
Drew,  with  the  rest  of  the  male  population,  made 
towards  the  port.  One  party  remained  on  the  rocks  to 
make  signals  and  dispose  of  the  goods  when  landed  ; 
the  other,  of  which  he  was  one,  manned  the  boats. 
The  night  was  intensely  dark  ;  and  but  little  progress 
had  been  made  in  discharging  the  vessel's  cargo  when 
the  wind  freshened,  with  a  heavy  sea.  To  prevent  the 
ship  being  driven  on  to  the  rocks  it  was  found  expedi- 
ent to  stand  off  from  the  port;  but  this  greatly  increased 
the  risk  to  those  in  the  boats.  Unfavourable  as  these 
circumstances  were,  all  seemed  resolved  to  persevere  ; 
and  several  trips  were  made  between  the  vessel  and  the 
shore.  The  wind  continuing  to  increase,  one  of  the 
men  in  the  boat  with  Drew  had  his  hat  blown  off,  and 
in  leaning  over  the  gunwale  in  his  attempt  to  secure 
it,  upset  the  boat,  and  three  of  the  men  were  drowned. 
Samuel  and  two  others  clung  to  the  keel  for  a  time,  but 
finding  that  they  were  drifting  out  to  sea,  they  were 
constrained  to  let  go  and  sustain  themselves  by  swim- 
ming. But  the  night  was  pitch  dark,  and  immersed  in 
the  waters  they  knew  not  in  which  direction  to  swim. 
Samuel  had  given  himself  up  as  lost,  when  he  laid  hold 
of  a  tangled  mass  of  floating  seaweed,  and  was  able  to 
sustain  himself  on  that.  At  length  he  approached  some 
rocks  near  the  shore,  upon  which  he  and  two  other 
men,  the  only  survivors  of  seven,  managed  to  crawl  ; 
but  they  were  so  benumbed  with  cold  and  so  much 
exhausted  by  their  exertions  that  the  utmost  they  could 
do  was  to  cling  to  the  rocks  and  let  the  sea  wash 
over  them.  When  a  little  recovered,  they  shouted 
for  help,  but  the  other  boatmen  were  concerned  in 
transporting  their  lading  of  kegs  on  shore,  and  not 
till  the  vessel  had  discharged  all  her  cargo  did  they 


56  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

make  any  attempt  to  rescue  the  half-drowned  men. 
Eventually  they  removed  them  to  a  farmhouse,  where  a 
blazing  fire  was  kindled  on  the  hearth  and  fresh  fag- 
gots piled  on  it,  while  the  half-drowned  men,  who 
were  placed  in  a  recess  of  the  chimney,  unable  to 
relieve  themselves,  were  compelled  to  endure  the 
excessive  heat  which  their  companions  thought  was 
necessary  to  restore  animation.  The  result  was  that 
they  were  half  roasted.  Samuel  Drew  says  :  "  My  first 
sensation  was  that  of  extreme  cold.  It  was  a  long  time 
before  I  felt  the  fire,  though  its  effects  are  still  visible 
on  my  legs,  which  are  burnt  in  several  places.  The 
wounds  continued  open  more  than  two  years,  and  the 
marks  I  shall  carry  to  my  grave." 

The  death  of  his  elder  brother  Jabez  produced  a  pro- 
found impression  on  Samuel,  and  he  became  a  Metho- 
dist. 

''For  the  space  of  about  four  or  five  years  I 
travelled  through  different  parts  of  Cornwall,  working 
whenever  I  could  obtain  employment ;  and  during 
this  period,  waded  through  scenes  of  domestic  distress, 
which  can  be  interesting  only  to  myself.  Literature 
was  a  term  to  which  I  could  annex  no  idea.  Grammar 
I  knew  not  the  meaning  of.  An  opportunity,  however, 
now  offering  one  an  advance  in  wages  at  S.  Austell, 
I  embraced  it,  and  came  hither  to  work  with  rather  an 
eccentric  character.  My  master  was  by  trade  a  saddler, 
had  acquired  some  knowledge  of  book-binding,  and 
hired  me  to  carry  on  the  shoe-making  for  him.  My 
master  was  one  of  those  men  who  will  live  anywhere, 
but  get  rich  nowhere.  His  shop  was  frequented  by 
persons  of  a  more  respectable  class  than  those  with 
whom  I  had  previously  associated  ;  and  various  topics 
became  alternately  the  subjects  of  conversation.  I 
listened  with  all  that  attention  which  my  labour  and 


SAMUEL   DREW  357 

good  manners  would  permit  me,  and  obtained  among 
them  some  little  knowledge.  About  this  time  disputes 
ran  high  in  S.  Austell  between  the  Calvinists  and 
Arminians,  and  our  shop  afforded  a  considerable  scene 
of  action.  In  cases  of  uncertain  issue,  I  was  sometimes 
appealed  to  to  decide  upon  a  doubtful  point.  This, 
perhaps,  flattering  my  vanity,  became  a  new  stimulus 
to  action.  I  listened  with  attention,  examined  diction- 
aries, picked  up  many  words,  and,  from  an  attachment 
which  I  felt  to  books  that  were  occasionally  brought 
to  his  shop  to  bind,  I  began  to  have  some  view  of  the 
various  theories  with  which  they  abounded.  The 
more,  however,  I  read,  the  more  I  felt  my  own  ignor- 
ance ;  and  the  more  I  felt  my  own  ignorance,  the 
more  invincible  became  my  energy  to  surmount  it ;  and 
every  leisure  moment  was  now  employed  in  reading 
one  thing  or  other.  .  .  .  After  having  worked  with 
this  master  about  three  years,  I  well  recollect,  a  neigh- 
bouring gentleman  brought  Locke's  Essay  on  the 
Human  Understanding  to  be  bound.  I  had  never  seen 
or  heard  of  these  books  before.  I  took  an  occasion  to 
look  into  them,  when  I  thought  his  mode  of  reasoning 
very  pretty  and  his  arguments  exceedingly  strong.  I 
watched  all  opportunities  of  reading  for  myself,  and 
would  willingly  have  laboured  a  fortnight  to  have  had 
the  books.  They,  however,  were  soon  carried  away, 
and  with  them  all  my  future  improvement  by  their 
means.  I  never  saw  his  essay  again  for  many  years, 
yet  the  early  impression  was  not  forgotten,  and  it  is 
from  this  accidental  circumstance  that  I  received  my 
first  bias  for  abstruse  subjects. 

"  My  master  growing  inattentive  to  his  shoe-making 
trade,  many  of  my  friends  advised  me  to  commence 
business  for  myself,  and  offered  me  money  for  that 
purpose.     I    accepted   the   offer,    started    accordingly. 


358  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

and  by  mere  dint  of  application,  in  about  one  year 
discharged  my  debts  and  stood  alone.  My  leisure 
hours  I  now  employed  in  reading,  or  scribbling  any- 
thing which  happened  to  pass  my  mind." 

Thus  he  went  on  till  1798,  when  he  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  an  Essay  on  the  Immortality  of  the  Soul.  Whilst 
engaged  upon  this  he  had  T.  Paine's  Age  of  Reason 
put  into  his  hands.  He  read  it,  but  saw  the  fallacy  of 
many  of  his  arguments,  and  he  wrote  his  remarks  on 
the  book,  and  published  them  in  pamphlet  form  at 
S.  Austell  in  1799. 

Through  this  tract  he  obtained  acquaintance  with 
the  Rev.  John  Whitaker,  to  whom  he  showed  his  MS. 
on  The  Immortality  of  the  Soul,  and  was  encouraged 
to  revise,  continue,  and  complete  the  essay,  and  it  was 
published  in  November,  1802. 

''  During  these  literary  pursuits  I  regularly  and  con- 
stantly attended  on  my  business,  and  do  not  recollect 
that  ever  one  customer  has  been  disappointed  by  me 
through  these  means.  While  attending  to  my  trade, 
I  sometimes  catch  the  fibres  of  an  argument,  which  I 
endeavour  to  note  the  prominent  features  of,  and  keep 
a  pen  and  ink  by  me  for  the  purpose.  In  this  state, 
what  I  can  collect  through  the  day  remains  on  any 
paper  which  I  have  at  hand  till  the  business  of  the  day 
is  dispatched  and  my  shop  shut  up,  when,  in  the 
midst  of  my  family,  I  endeavour  to  analyze,  in  the 
evening,  such  thoughts  as  had  crossed  my  mind 
during  the  day." 

At  one  time  the  bent  of  Drew's  mind  was  towards 
astronomy,  but  when  he  considered  how  impossible 
it  was  for  him,  without  means,  to  purchase  a  powerful 
telescope,  to  make  any  progress  in  the  study  of  the 
stars,  he  abandoned  the  thought  and  devoted  himself 
to  metaphysics — perhaps  one  of  the  most  unprofitable 


SAMUEL   DREW  359 

of  all  studies.  His  works  were,  however,  read  by  some 
when  they  issued  from  the  press,  and  are  now  no 
longer  even  looked  into. 

A  friend  one  day  remarked  to  him,  *'Mr.  Drew, 
more  than  once  I  have  heard  you  quote  the  line — 

'  Where  ig-norance  is  bliss,  'tis  folly  to  be  wise.' 

How  do  you  make  that  out?" 

"  I  will  tell  you  by  my  own  experience,"  replied 
Drew.  ''When  I  began  business  I  was  a  great 
politician.  For  the  first  year  I  had  too  much  to 
think  about  to  indulge  my  propensity  for  politics  ; 
but,  getting  a  little  ahead  in  the  world,  I  began  to 
dip  into  these  matters  again,  and  entered  into  news- 
paper argument  as  if  my  livelihood  depended  on  it ; 
my  shop  was  filled  with  loungers,  who  came  to  canvass 
public  measures.  This  encroached  on  my  time,  and 
I  found  it  necessary  sometimes  to  work  till  midnight 
to  make  up  for  the  hours  I  lost.  One  night,  after  my 
shutters  were  closed,  and  I  was  busily  employed,  some 
little  urchin  who  was  passing  put  his  mouth  to  the 
keyhole  of  the  door,  and  with  a  shrill  pipe  called  out, 
'  Shoemaker  !  Shoemaker  !  Work  by  night  and  run 
about  by  day  ! '  Had  a  pistol  been  fired  off  at  my  ear 
I  could  not  have  been  more  confounded.  From  that 
time  I  turned  over  a  new  leaf.  I  ceased  to  venture  on 
the  restless  sea  of  politics,  or  trouble  myself  about 
matters  which  did  not  concern  me.  The  bliss  of 
ignorance  on  political  topics  I  often  experienced  in 
after  life — the  folly  of  being  wise  my  early  history 
shows." 

His  sister  kept  house  for  him.  One  market-day  a 
country-woman  entered  his  shop,  and  having  com- 
pleted her  purchases,  remarked  that  she  thought  he 
would  be  more  comfortable  if  he  had  a  wife.     Drew 


36o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

assented,  but  said,  *'  I  don't  know  any  one  who  would 
have  me."  *'Oh!  that's  easily  settled,"  said  the 
woman,  and  left.  Next  market-day  she  returned, 
bringing  her  buxom,  apple-cheeked  daughter  with 
her.  ''There,  Mr.  Drew,"  said  she;  "I  brought  this 
maid,  who  will  make  'ee  a  good  wife." 

Samuel  demurred  ;  he  neither  knew  the  family  nor 
the  qualities  and  character  of  the  wench. 

"Lor'  bless  'ee  ! "  said  the  woman,  when  he  made 
these  objections,  "take  her.  The  trial  of  the  pudding 
is  in  the  eating." 

He  declined  the  proposal,  however  ;  but  this  incident 
turned  his  mind  to  matrimony,  and  on  April  17th,  1791, 
when  in  his  twenty-seventh  year,  he  married  Honor 
Halls,  and  by  her  had  five  sons  and  three  daughters. 
His  wife's  immediate  fortune  was  iJ^io,  a  sum  of  great 
importance  at  that  time  to  him.  Three  years  after  it 
was  increased  by  a  legacy  of  ^50. 

Having  made  a  certain  amount  of  success  with  his 
Essay  on  the  Immortality  of  the  Soul,  Drew  next  under- 
took one  on  The  Identity  and  Resurrection  of  the  Human 
Body,  and  this  was  published  in  1809. 

Into  a  controversy  he  was  engaged  in  with  Mr. 
Polwhele  in  1800  on  Methodism  we  need  not  enter, 
but  it  made  no  breach  of  friendly  feeling  between  Mr. 
Polwhele  and  him,  and  it  was  at  the  request  of  the 
former  that  Drew  wrote  the  little  account  of  his  life  that 
appeared  in  Polwhele's  Literary  Characters,  1803. 

Having  experienced  his  own  great  difficulties  in 
acquiring  the  principles  of  the  English  grammar,  in 
1804  he  gave  a  course  of  lectures  on  that  subject. 
These  lectures,  which  occupied  about  two  hours,  were 
delivered  on  four  evenings  of  the  week,  two  being 
allotted  to  each  sex  separately.  A  year  completed  the 
course  of   instruction,    and   for   this    each    pupil    paid 


SAMUEL   DREW  361 

thirty  shillings.  He  was  able  to  illustrate  his  lectures 
very  happily  with  anecdote  and  from  his  own  experi- 
ence, so  as  to  render  the  barren  study  of  grammar 
interesting  and  entertaining.  Though  never  able  to 
write  first-class  English,  and  often  clumsy  in  diction, 
yet  he  was  studiously  correct  in  grammar,  if  often  awk- 
ward in  construction  of  a  sentence. 

In  the  year  1805  he  gave  up  his  cobbling  business 
and  devoted  himself  entirely  to  his  pen.  Seeing  his 
value  as  a  polemic  writer  in  favour  of  the  fundamental 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  several  of  the  clergy  of 
Cornwall  were  anxious  that  he  should  join  the  Church  ; 
but  his  early  association  with  Dissent,  and  his  ignor- 
ance of  Catholic  doctrine,  induced  him  to  remain  where 
he  was  in  the  Methodist  Connection, 

He  next  wrote  an  Essay  on  the  Being  and  Attributes 
of  the  Deity'y  and  a  reply  to  Thomas  Prout,  On  the 
Divinity  of  Christ  and  the  Eternal  Sonship.  All  this 
was  very  well  in  its  way  at  the  time,  but  is  now  so 
much  waste  paper,  used  only  for  covering  jampots. 

In  1814  Samuel  Drew  undertook  his  most  voluminous 
work,  the  History  of  Cornivall,  one  which  he  was 
wholly  unqualified  to  undertake,  as  he  had  no  famili- 
arity with  the  MS.  material  on  which  that  history 
should  be  based  ;  and  it  was  a  mere  compilation  from 
already  printed  matter. 

In  1819  Samuel  Drew  removed  to  Liverpool,  where 
he  acted  as  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist  meeting- 
houses. To  this  period  belongs  the  epigram  written 
on  him  by  Dr.  Clarke  : — 

Long  was  the  man,  and  long  was  his  hair, 

And  long  was  the  coat  which  this  long  man  did  wear. 

He  became  editor  of  the  Imperial  Magazine^  and 
after  a  short  while  in  Liverpool,  migrated  to  London. 


362  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

In  1828  he  lost  his  wife.  "  When  my  wife  died,"  he 
was  wont  to  say,  **  my  earthly  sun  set  for  ever." 

In  1833  he  returned  to  Cornwall,  and  died  at  Helston 
on  March  29th,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight. 

Slender  in  form,  with  a  head  remarkably  small  for 
the  length  of  his  limbs,  his  stature  exceeded  the 
common  height.  He  had  a  searching  and  intelligent 
eye,  was  somewhat  uncouth  in  his  movements,  but  was 
full  of  energy  of  mind  and  body.  He  sometimes  wrote 
verses,  which  only  a  very  partial  biographer  would 
call  poetry.  But  what  he  prided  himself  on  being  was 
not  a  poet,  but  a  metaphysician. 

The  story  goes  that  S.  Augustine  was  walking  one 
day  by  the  seashore,  musing  on  the  attributes  of  God 
and  on  the  demonstration  of  the  Divine  nature,  when 
he  saw  a  child  digging  a  hole  in  the  sand,  and  then 
with  a  fan-shell  ladling  the  sea-water  into  the  hole  it 
had  made. 

S.  Augustine  paused  and  asked,  "My  child,  what 
are  you  about?" 

"I  am  going  to  empty  the  sea  into  this  hole," 
replied  the  child. 

Then  S.  Augustine  entered  into  himself  and  thought: 
''Can  a  man  with  the  limited  capacity  of  his  brain 
embrace  the  infinity  of  the  Divine  nature  and  perfec- 
tions? Is  it  not  like  emptying  the  sea  into  a  tiny  hole 
to  try  to  effect  this?" 

Drew's  life  labours  were  just  doing  this.  There  was 
a  certain  amount  of  intellectual  ingenuity  in  his  argu- 
ments, but  that  was  all.  Not  a  leaf  that  he  wrote  is  of 
any  permanent  value,  but  that  it  was  of  value  at  the 
time  when  he  wrote  I  should  be  the  last  to  deny. 

There  is  abundant  material  for  a  life  of  Samuel 
Drew.  Not  only  may  it  be  found  in  the  life  by  his  son 
mentioned  at  the  head  of  this  article,  and  in  his  own 


SAMUEL   DREW  363 

biographical  memoir  given  by  R.  Polwhele,  but  his 
son  J.  H.  Drew  also  published  a  second  memoir,  under 
the  title  Samuel  Drew,  31. A.,  the  Self-Taught  Cornish- 
man;  A  Life  Lesson,  published  in  1861  ;  also  in 
Lives  of  the  Illustrious,  by  J.  P.  Edwards,  1852  ;  and 
Mr.  Smiles  has  devoted  some  pages  to  him  in  Self-Help, 
1866.  The  portrait  of  Samuel  Drew  is  given  as  frontis- 
piece to  the  first  volume  of  The  Imperial  Magazine^ 
18 19,  and  also  to  the  Life  by  his  son. 


THE   SIEGE   OF    SKEWIS 

SKEWIS  is  a  small,  not  very  interesting  farm- 
house in  itself,  on  the  high  road  from  Cam- 
borne to  Helston,  near  the  station  of  Nance- 
gollan.  Although  at  a  distance  of  five  miles 
from  Tregonning  Hill,  that  height  crowned  by  a  stone 
camp,  and  with  two  camps  on  its  slopes,  seems  to 
dominate  it.  The  country  around  is  bleak  and  treeless 
except  in  dips,  and  where  are  the  grounds  of  Clow- 
ance.  To  the  north  is  the  camp  of  Tregeare,  where 
was  once  seated  an  ancient  family  of  the  same  name, 
which  died  out  in  the  reign  of  William  of  Orange 
with  Richard  Tregeare,  sheriff  of  Cornwall.  Skewis 
had  been  for  some  time  the  patrimony  of  a  succession 
of  yeoman  proprietors  of  the  name  of  Rogers. 

In  1734  there  were  two  brothers  of  that  name  sons 
of  the  owner  of  Skewis.  On  their  father's  death  the 
eldest  succeeded  to  the  property,  and  the  younger, 
Henry,  carried  on  the  trade  of  pewterer  in  Helston. 
Both  were  married,  but  the  elder  had  no  children, 
whereas  Henry  had  several. 

On  the  death  of  the  elder  brother,  his  widow,  whose 
maiden  name  had  been  Millett,  produced  a  will  whereby 
her  late  husband  had  bequeathed  all  his  freehold  pro- 
perty to  her.  This  greatly  exasperated  Henry,  who 
considered  that  as  Skewis  had  belonged  to  the  Rogers 
family  for  many  generations,  he  was  entitled  to  it,  and 
he  averred  that  the  will  had  been  wrung  from  his  dying 
brother  by  the   importunity  of  the  wife  when   he  was 

364 


I 


ilK.NKY    KUGKIO:     I'KWTEKKR 


THE    SIEGE   OF   SKEWIS  365 

feeble  in  mind  as  well  as  body.  Forthwith,  in  place  of 
disputing  the  will  when  proved,  he  took  forcible 
possession  of  the  house,  and  turned  out  of  it  some 
female  servants  left  in  charge  of  it  whilst  his  sister-in- 
law  was  from  home. 

The  whole  neighbourhood  was  satisfied  that  great 
wrong  had  been  done  to  Henry  Rogers,  and  was  loud 
in  its  condemnation  of  the  widow. 

When  Mrs.  Rogers  found  herself  forcibly  dis- 
possessed she  appealed  to  the  law,  and  judgment  was 
given  against  Henry. 

Stephen  Tillie  was  under-sheriff,  and  he  received 
orders  to  eject  Rogers,  and  place  Anne,  the  widow, 
in  possession.  On  June  i8th,  1734,  he  accordingly 
went  to  Skewis  to  serve  the  summons.  But  Henry 
stood  at  an  upper  window  armed  with  a  gun,  and  dared 
the  under-sheriff  to  approach.  Tillie  shouted  to  him 
that  he  had  the  King's  writ  and  must  have  possession, 
but  assured  him  that  he  would  not  meddle  with  his 
person. 

By  this  time  a  crowd  of  some  two  or  three  hundred 
persons  had  assembled,  all  sympathizers  with  Henry 
Rogers,  and  murmuring  their  disapproval  of  the 
ejectment. 

Henry,  from  his  window,  called  out  that  the  Lord 
Chancellor  had  made  an  unjust  decree. 

Tillie  replied  that  Henry  Rogers  might  appeal  against 
the  decision,  but  surrender  the  house  he  must. 

Rogers,  in  reply,  fired,  and,  as  the  under-sheriff 
stated,  "  burned  his  wig  and  singed  his  face." 

This  so  frightened  Tillie  that  he  withdrew,  and  sent 
to  Helston  for  some  soldiers;  and  Captain  Sadler,  then 
in  charge  of  the  military  there,  despatched  some  to  his 
aid. 

So  reinforced,  on  the   morrow  Tillie  went  again  to 


366  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Skewis,  and  found  the  door  shut,  and  a  hole  cut  in  it, 
with  a  gun-barrel  protruding. 

Again  the  under-sheriff  demanded  admittance,  and 
for  reply  the  gun  was  fired,  and  a  bailiff  named 
William  Carpenter  was  mortally  wounded.  Another 
gun  was  then  discharged,  and  Hatch,  the  under- 
sheriff's  servant,  was  struck.  Anne  Rogers,  the 
plaintiff,  was  in  the  rear  animating  the  soldiers  against 
the  occupants  of  the  house.  Mrs.  Henry  Rogers  was 
within,  loading  and  serving  out  the  guns  to  her  hus- 
band and  to  his  servant  John  Street.  A  soldier  was 
shot  in  the  groin,  and  two  other  men  were  wounded. 
Thereupon  the  soldiers  fired  upon  the  house,  and 
though  the  bullets  flew  in  at  the  window,  none  of 
those  within  were  hurt. 

Woolsten,  the  soldier  shot  in  the  groin,  was  taken  to 
the  rear,  where  he  died.  A  bullet  whizzed  through 
Stephen  Tillie's  hat.  Discretion  is  the  better  part  of 
valour.  Accordingly  the  under-sheriff  gave  orders 
to  beat  a  retreat,  and  like  the  King  of  France's  men 
who  marched  up  a  hill  and  then  marched  down  again, 
Tillie  and  his  posse  of  bailiffs  and  military  retired  from 
the  battlefield,  carrying  their  dead  and  wounded,  with- 
out having  effected  an  entry.  In  a  kindly  spirit  Rogers 
offered  Tillie  a  dram,  but  the  under-sheriff's  courage 
was  too  much  quailed  to  allow  him  to  draw  near 
enough  to  accept  the  hospitable  offer. 

Indeed,  it  took  Mr.  Tillie  nine  months  to  gather  up 
sufficient  courage  to  resume  the  attack,  and  then  not 
till  he  had  ordered  up  cannon  from  Pendennis  Castle. 
On  the  former  occasion  there  had  been  at  least  ten 
soldiers  under  the  command  of  an  officer.  Within  the 
house  were  only  Henry  Rogers,  his  wife,  his  small 
children,  and  his  servant-man. 

On  March  i6th,  in  the  year  following,  another  party 


THE    SIEGE   OF   SKEWIS  367 

was  sent  to  apprehend  Rogers  and  take  possession  of 
the  house.  On  this  occasion,  apparently  Mr.  Stephen 
Tillie  did  not  put  in  his  appearance,  but  left  the  duty  to 
be  discharged  by  the  constables.  Henry  Rogers  was 
prepared  for  them,  and  fired,  when  one  named  Andrew 
Willis,  alias  Tubby,  was  shot  dead.  Rogers  then, 
with  the  utmost  coolness,  came  out  of  the  door  and 
walked  round  the  man  he  had  shot,  and  again  on  this 
occasion  offered  the  besiegers  a  drink.  The  besiegers 
then  retired,  but  not  till  a  second  man  had  been 
shot. 

During  the  night  Henry  Rogers  effected  his  escape. 
He  travelled  on  foot  to  Salisbury,  with  the  intention  of 
making  his  case  known  to  the  King. 

Sir  John  S.  Aubyn,  of  Clowance,  now  took  an  active 
part  in  endeavouring  to  secure  the  fugitive,  and  hand- 
bills descriptive  of  Rogers  were  circulated  along  the 
road  to  London,  whither  it  was  known  he  was  making 
his  way.  Near  Salisbury  a  postboy,  driving  home- 
wards a  return  post-chaise,  was  accosted  by  a  stout 
man  walking  with  a  gun  in  his  hand,  who  requested  to 
be  given  a  lift.  The  boy  drove  him  to  the  inn,  where 
he  procured  a  bed  ;  but  the  circumstances  and  descrip- 
tion had  excited  strong  suspicion,  and  he  was  secured 
in  his  sleep.  The  prisoner  was  removed  to  Cornwall. 
He  and  his  man  Street  were  tried  at  the  assizes  at 
Launceston  on  August  ist,  1735,  were  both  found 
guilty  of  murder,  and  were  both  hanged. 

It  is  not  possible  to  withhold  sympathy  from  both  men, 
especially  Street,  who  acted  on  the  belief  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  be  true  to  his  master,  and  to  defend  him  and  his 
property  to  the  utmost. 

Mr.  Davies  Gilbert  gives  the  minutes  of  an  interesting 
conversation  he  had  with  the  son  of  Henry  Rogers  who 
was  hanged. 


368  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

"On  the  30th  October,  1812,  I  called  on  Mr.  Henry 
Rogers,  formerly  a  saddler  at  Penzance,  but  then  resid- 
ing there  in  great  poverty,  being  supported  by  a  small 
allowance  from  a  club,  and  by  half  a  crown  a  week 
given  him  by  the  Corporation,  nominally  for  yielding 
up  the  possession  of  a  house,  but  in  truth  to  prevent 
his  becoming  a  common  pauper. 

"Mr.  Henry  Rogers  was  then  eighty-four  years  of 
age  and  remembered  the  unfortunate  transactions  at 
Skewis  perfectly  well ;  he  was  between  seven  and  eight 
years  old  at  the  time.  He  recollected  going  out  with 
his  father  into  the  court  after  there  had  been  some 
firing.  His  father  had  a  gun  in  his  hand,  and 
inquired  what  they  wanted.  On  this  his  father 
was  fired  at,  and  had  a  snuff-box  and  powder-horn 
broken  in  his  pocket  by  a  ball,  whilst  he  stood  on 
the  other  side. 

"He  recollected  that  whilst  he  was  in  bed,  several 
balls  came  in  through  the  windows  of  the  room,  and 
after  striking  the  wall  rolled  about  on  the  floor. 

"One  brother  and  a  sister,  who  were  in  the  house, 
went  out  to  inquire  what  was  wanted  of  their  father,  and 
they  were  not  permitted  to  return. 

"  On  the  last  night,  no  one  remained  in  the  house 
but  his  father,  himself,  and  the  servant-maid.  In  the 
middle  of  the  night  they  all  went  out,  and  got  some 
distance  from  the  house.  In  crossing  a  field,  however, 
they  were  met  by  two  soldiers,  who  inquired  their  busi- 
ness. The  maid  answered  that  they  were  looking  for  a 
cow,  when  they  were  permitted  to  proceed.  The  soldiers 
had  their  arms,  and  his  father  had  his  gun.  The  maid 
and  himself  were  left  at  a  farmhouse  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  Mr.  Rogers  proceeded  on  his  way  towards 
London." 

The  authorities  for  the  story  of  the  siege  of  Skewis 


THE    SIEGE   OF    SKEWIS  369 

are:  Richard  Hooker's  Weekly  Miscellany^  9  August, 
1 735 ;  George  Harris's  Life  of  Lord  Chancellor  Hardwick^ 
I,  pp.  295-303  ;  Caulfield's  Portraits  of  Remarkable 
Persons^  181 3  ;  and  Davies  Gilbert's  Parochial  History 
of  Cornwall. 


2  B 


THE    VOYAGE    OF  JOHN   SANDS 

IANARTH,  in  the  parish  of  S.  Keverne,  in  the 
Lizard  district,  was  for  many  generations 
.  the  residence  of  the  family  of  Sands.  The 
— ^  family  was  not  represented  at  the  Heralds' 
Visitation  of  1620,  and  did  not  record  its  arms  and 
pedigree,  but  was  nevertheless  regarded  in  the  eigh- 
teenth century  as  "gentle,"  and  was  united  to  other 
families  of  respectability. 

Sampson  Sands,  who  died  in  1696,  was  married  to 
Jane,  daughter  of  John  Coode,  of  Breage,  but  he  died 
without  issue  and  left  his  estate  to  his  brother's  son, 
John  Sands,  married  to  a  daughter  of  Hamley,  of 
S.   Neot. 

This  John  Sands,  one  afternoon  in  January,  1702-3, 
and  seven  other  persons,  men  and  women,  of 
S.  Keverne,  were  returning  from  Falmouth  in  a  fish- 
ing boat  of  about  five  tons  burden,  without  deck  or 
covering,  after  having  done  their  marketing  at  a  fair 
there. 

When  they  had  got  to  sea,  about  a  league  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Fal  and  about  two  leagues  off  S.  Keverne, 
suddenly  there  rose  a  storm  of  wind  from  the  west, 
and  the  sea  rising  and  rolling  in  great  crested  waves 
round  the  terrible  points  of  the  Manacles,  the  rowers 
were  unable  to  make  headway  against  it.  If  they 
could  not  reach  Porthoustock,  for  which  they  were 
bound,  they  hoped  at  least  to  run  into  Porthallow. 
But  even  this  they  were  unable  to  effect.     The  fury  of 

370 


THE   VOYAGE   OF   JOHN    SANDS        371 

the  blast  and  the  great  masses  of  water  heaved  against 
the  little  boat  made  progress  impossible,  and  they 
resolved  on  running  back  into  Falmouth  harbour. 
Accordingly  the  vessel  was  turned,  but  the  raging 
wind  and  sea  and  the  tide  setting  out  from  the  land 
swept  them  from  the  coast.  Moreover,  the  short 
winter  day  was  closing  in.  The  sun  went  down 
behind  a  wild  and  inky  bank  of  cloud,  and  speedily 
night  set  in  dark  and  terrible.  The  unfortunate  boat- 
load of  marketers  could  do  no  more  than  invoke  God's 
protection,  and  bail  out  the  water  as  fast  as  it  poured 
over  the  gunwale.  The  oars  were  shipped,  and  the 
boatmen  declared  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  done 
but  to  let  loose  the  helm  and  allow  the  boat  to 
drive. 

The  night  was  cold  as  well  as  tempestuous.  On 
the  blast  of  the  wind  came  down  torrents  of  rain.  The 
men  and  women  alike  laboured  hard  to  cast  out  of  the 
boat  the  water  that  poured  in.  For  sixteen  hours 
darkness  lasted.  How  may  each  have  said  with 
Gonzalo :  "Now  would  I  give  a  thousand  furlongs  of 
sea  for  an  acre  of  barren  ground,  long  heath,  brown 
furze,  anything.  I  would  fain  die  a  dry  death."  At 
length  there  rose  a  raw  light  in  the  south-east,  against 
which  the  billows  stood  up  black  as  ink.  As  the  light 
grew,  those  in  the  boat  found  themselves  encircled 
with  sea,  out  of  sight  of  land,  and  with  the  clouds 
scudding  overhead,  as  if  running  a  race.  The  storm 
continued  all  that  day  and  the  night  following.  Not 
only  so,  but  also  the  third  day  and  night  the  battle 
with  the  influx  of  water  continued.  There  was  no 
sleep  for  any  ;  all  had  to  fight  the  water  for  their  lives. 
Happily  they  were  not  starving,  for  Mr.  Sands  had 
taken  over  to  Falmouth  in  the  boat  a  woman,  the 
taverner's  wife  of  the  "Three  Tuns,"  who  had  brought 


372  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

with  her  from  Falmouth  a  shilling's  worth  of  bread 
and  three  or  four  gallons  of  brandy.  On  this  they 
subsisted. 

On  the  fourth  day  in  the  morning,  the  gale  abated, 
and  at  ten  o'clock  land  was  descried.  Forthwith  the 
rowers  bent  to  their  oars  and  steered  towards  it.  When 
the  whole  party  landed  they  discovered  that  they  had 
been  wafted  over  to  the  coast  of  Normandy  ;  and  they 
found  themselves  on  French  soil  at  the  time  that  Oueen 
Anne  was  engaged  in  war  with  Louis  XIV.  Marl- 
borough had  been  in  the  Netherlands,  and  had  reduced 
Venloo,  Ruremonde,  and  the  citadel  of  Liege.  At  sea 
Rooke  had  captured  six  vessels  and  sunk  thirteen  at 
Vigo,  and  Admiral  Benbow  had  done  wonders  against  a 
French  fleet  in  the  West  Indies.  The  French  were  sore 
and  irritated.  So  soon  as  Mr.  Sands  and  his  little 
party  stepped  on  shore  they  were  encountered  by 
several  men  armed,  who  demanded  who  they  were. 
They  replied  that  they  were  English.  One  of  the  party 
stopping  them  understood  our  language,  and  inquired 
the  occasion  of  these  visitors  landing  on  the  enemy's 
shores,  and  by  what  expedient  they  had  come  over. 
They  replied,  and  gave  an  account  of  their  perilous 
voyage  of  three  nights  and  four  days. 

Upon  this  a  gentleman  of  the  company  asked 
Mr.  Sands  from  what  part  of  England  he  came,  and 
when  he  replied  that  they  were  all  from  Cornwall,  the 
same  gentleman  inquired  further  whether  the  leader 
of  the  party  was  named  Sands  ;  to  this  he  replied,  in 
some  surprise,  that  he  was. 

"Then,  monsieur,"  said  the  Frenchman,  "I  know 
you,  and  I  can  well  remember  your  kindness  and 
hospitality  when  I  was  wrecked  off  the  Lizard  some 
years  ago.  Then  you  received  me  into  your  house,  and 
entertained  me  most  generously." 


THE   VOYAGE    OF   JOHN    SANDS        373 

This  was  an  unexpected  and  welcome  encounter. 
The  gentleman  then  required  the  party  to  surrender 
what  arms  and  money  they  had  with  them,  and  Mr. 
Sands  handed  over  forty  guineas  that  he  had  received 
at  Falmouth  for  pilchards  just  before  he  was  driven  out 
to  sea  in  the  boat.  He  and  his  companions  were 
required  to  yield  themselves  prisoners  of  war  ;  and 
Mr.  Sands  was  received  into  the  gentleman's  home. 
All  next  day  were  brought  before  a  magistrate  and 
examined,  and  orders  were  given  that  they  should  not 
be  kept  in  custody  as  prisoners  of  war,  but  should  be 
permitted  to  go  about  at  liberty,  and  beg  alms  of  the 
people.  And  the  kind-hearted  Normandy  peasants  and 
gentlemen  showed  them  great  favour,  and  supplied  all 
their  pressing  wants. 

The  news  of  the  event  not  only  flew  over  the  country, 
but  reached  the  ears  of  the  King,  who  thereupon  ordered 
that  the  whole  party  should  be  sent  back  to  England  by 
the  first  transport  ship  for  prisoners  of  war  ;  which 
happened  soon  after. 

Mr.  Sands  took  leave  of  his  kind  host  in  whose  house 
he  had  been  hospitably  entertained,  and  begged  him  to 
accept  the  forty  guineas  as  some  acknowledgment  of 
his  kindness.  This,  however,  the  gentleman  refused 
to  do,  saying  that  he  would  take  nothing  at  his 
hands,  since  God  in  such  a  wonderful  manner  had  pre- 
served him  and  his  companions  from  the  perils  of  the 
deep.  Then  Mr.  Sands  pressed  five  guineas  on  the 
wife  of  his  host,  begging  her  with  that  sum  to  purchase 
something  which  might  remind  her  of  him  and  his 
party  ;  and  this  she  reluctantly  received. 

So  they  parted,  and  all  went  on  board  a  transport 
ship  and  were  safely  landed  at  Portsmouth  ;  and  in 
eight  weeks  after  their  departure  from  England  re- 
turned to  S.  Keverne,  to  the  great  joy  and  surprise  of 


374  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

their  friends  and  relations,  who  had  concluded  that  all 
of  them  had  been  drowned. 

The  Rev.  Sampson  Sandys  was  grandson  of  the 
gentleman  who  was  carried  over  to  France,  as  described. 
He  lived  at  Lanarth  to  a  great  age.  His  daughter 
Eleanor  married  Admiral  James  Kempthorne,  r.n. 
He  was  succeeded  at  Lanarth  by  his  nephew,  William 
Sandys,  a  colonel  in  the  army  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, who  rebuilt  the  house.  It  must  be  added  that 
the  original  name  of  the  family  was  not  Sandys  but 
Sands,  and  that  it  assumed  the  former  name  as  more 
euphonious  and  as  supposing  a  connection  which,  how- 
ever, has  not  been  proved  to  exist,  with  Lord  Sandys 
of  The  Vine,  and  Ombersley,  Worcestershire,  and  the 
Cumberland  family  of  Graythwaite.  At  the  same  time, 
it  assumed  the  arms  of  the  same  distinguished  family, 
or,  a  fesse  dancette  between  three  crosses  crosslet  fichee 
gules. 


CHARLES    INCLEDON 

THIS,  one  of  the  sweetest  tenor  singers  England 
has   produced,   was   born  at  S.   Keverne  in 
Cornwall,  in    1764,   and  was   the   son    of   a 
petty    local    surgeon    and    apothecary    prac- 
tising there. 

At  the  age  of  seven  he  was  introduced  by  Mr. 
Snow,  one  of  the  minor  canons  of  Exeter  Cathedral, 
to  the  organist,  then  named  Langdon,  and  he  afterwards 
became  the  pupil  of  William  Jackson  the  composer, 
who  was  for  many  years  organist  of  the  cathedral. 
Jackson  took  great  notice  of  the  boy,  and  made  him 
sing  his  own  compositions  at  concerts  in  the  city. 
On  one  occasion,  when  the  assizes  were  on  at  Exeter, 
Judge  Nares  attended  in  state  at  the  morning  service  in 
the  cathedral,  when  Incledon  sang  the  solo  "Let  my 
soul  love,"  in  the  anthem,  '*Let  my  complaint  come 
before  Thee,  O  Lord,"  with  such  effect  and  beauty 
that  the  tears  rolled  down  the  judge's  cheeks,  and  at 
the  conclusion  of  Divine  service  he  sent  for  the  boy 
and  presented  him  with  five  guineas. 

Incledon  was  wont,  on  summer  evenings,  to  seat 
himself  on  a  rail  in  the  cathedral  close  and  sing,  to  the 
delight  of  an  audience  that  always  collected  as  soon  as 
his  bird-like  voice  was  heard.  On  one  such  occasion 
he  was  singing  the  song  "When  I  was  a  shepherd's 
maid,"  from  The  Padlock^  when  a  gentleman  in  regi- 
mentals stepped  forward  and  asked  his  name.  Next 
day  this  officer,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Trevor,  called  on  Jackson 

375 


376  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

and  asked  permission  to  take  the  lad  with  him  to 
Torquay,  where  he  was  going  to  visit  Commodore 
Walsingham  of  the  Thunderer,  and  he  desired  to  give 
his  friend  and  all  on  board  ship  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
Incledon  sing.  Permission  was  accorded,  and  the  boy- 
was  on  board  the  vessel  for  three  days,  and  sang 
several  nautical  and  other  songs,  beginning  with 
'*Blow  high,  blow  low."  The  Commodore  was  so 
delighted  that  he  wrote  to  Incledon's  parents  and 
asked  that  the  lad  might  be  placed  under  him  in  the 
vessel  ;  but  the  mother  declined,  and  well  was  it  that 
she  did,  for  the  Thunderer  went  down  in  a  storm  in 
the  West  Indies,  and  all  hands  on  board  were  lost. 

The  kind  reception  accorded  to  Charles  Incledon  on 
board  induced  him  to  harbour  the  resolution  to  become 
a  sailor,  and  accompanied  by  a  fellow  chorister,  and 
carrying  a  bundle  of  linen,  he  ran  away,  hoping  to 
reach  Plymouth  ;  but  he  was  overtaken  and  brought 
back,  and  as  a  punishment  was  not  allowed  to  wear  his 
surplice  in  choir  for  a  week. 

But  when  his  voice  broke,  then  he  was  allowed  to 
follow  his  bent,  and  he  embarked  on  board  the  Formid- 
able under  Captain  Stanton,  and  remained  in  her  two 
years,  till,  disabled  by  a  wound,  he  was  left  at  Plymouth, 
and  on  his  recovery  was  placed  in  a  vessel  commanded 
by  Lord  Harvey,  afterwards  Earl  of  Bristol.  With 
this  nobleman  he  sailed  to  Sta.  Lucia,  where  the  whole 
fleet  was  at  anchor.  Whilst  there.  Lord  Harvey  gave 
a  dinner  on  board  to  his  fellow  commanders  and  other 
officers.  At  the  same  time  the  sailors  before  the  mast 
enjoyed  themselves  with  grog  and  songs.  When 
Incledon  sang,  the  lieutenant  on  deck  ran  to  the  cabin 
where  the  officers  were  regaling  themselves,  and  told 
them  that  they  had  a  nightingale  on  board,  and  would 
do  well  to  hear  ii  sing.     Lord  Harvey  at  once  proceeded 


BiiC  rww  tiffain.mv  spwils  smA'. 

TU  raise  than  hit//i   with  nine  {Vir\xsk.i\ 


•Icndc'n  PubhJ-lud  Vov''J''jSle.  ^'  r.Cluip;>!r  L^rlt  Mall . 


CHARLES    INCLEDON  377 

to  the  quarter-deck,  heard  Incledon  sing  the  fine  old 
traditional  ballad,  "  'Twas  Thursday  in  the  Morn,"  and 
was  so  impressed  that  he  bade  him  at  once  change  his 
apparel  and  come  to  the  state  cabin.  He  did  so  and 
sang  there  "  The  Fight  of  the  Monmouth  and  Foudroy- 
ant,"  '*  Rule  Britannia,"  and  some  of  Jackson's  favour- 
ite canzonets.  The  officers  applauded  enthusiastically, 
and  jocularly  appointed  him  Singer  to  the  British 
Fleet.  He  was  released  from  the  performance  of  manual 
duty,  and  sent  for  to  assist  at  every  entertainment  that 
succeeded.  He  rose  high  in  the  favour  of  Admiral 
Pigot,  the  Commander-in-Chief,  and  made  numerous 
friends  and  patrons. 

In  1782  Incledon  was  in  the  engagement  between  the 
English  fleet  under  Admiral  Sir  George  Bridges, 
afterwards  Lord  Rodney,  and  the  French  fleet  com- 
manded by  the  Count  de  Grasse,  when  the  former 
gained  a  complete  victory. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  war  Incledon  was  discharged 
at  Chatham  and  proceeded  to  London,  with  strong 
recommendations  from  Lord  Mulgrave  and  others  to 
Mr.  Colman  of  the  Haymarket  Theatre.  Colman 
received  him  coldly,  and  gave  him  no  hopes  of  an 
engagement.  Then  he  went  to  Southampton,  where  he 
obtained  an  engagement  at  ten  shillings  and  sixpence 
a  week.  But  soon  after,  owing  to  some  dispute,  he  left 
the  company  and  went  to  Salisbury  with  a  travelling 
company,  and  fell  into  great  poverty  and  misery. 
However,  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  engagement  at 
Bath  with  Mr.  Palmer,  the  well-known  theatrical 
manager,  and  the  man  who  introduced  mail-coaches 
into  England.  Here  he  received  thirty  shillings  a 
week.  He  attracted  the  attention  of  Ranzzini,  the 
arbiter  of  the  musical  entertainments  at  Bath  ;  and  this 
able   man   gave  him   valuable   instruction   in   scientific 


378  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

singing.  One  evening,  hearing  Incledon  sing 
Handel's  **  Total  Eclipse,"  the  Italian  was  so  delighted 
that,  catching  hold  of  his  hand,  he  left  the  piano,  and 
leading  him  to  the  front  of  the  platform  exclaimed, 
"  Ladies  an  jentleman,  dis  is  my  scholar  !  " 

Thomas  Harris,  hearing  him  at  Bath,  proposed  that 
he  should  sing  and  act  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  and 
engaged  him  for  three  years  at  six,  seven,  and  eight 
pounds  a  week.  Hardly  was  this  agreement  made, 
when  Linley,  of  Drury  Lane,  offered  him  twelve  pounds 
a  week,  and  to  retain  him  for  five  years.  But,  although 
only  a  verbal  agreement  had  been  entered  into  with 
Harris,  Incledon,  to  his  honour,  rejected  the  offer  of 
Linley.  It  was  unfortunate  in  more  ways  than  one,  as 
he  would  have  profited  by  Linley's  exquisite  taste  and 
instruction,  as  well  as  have  earned  nearly  double  what 
Harris  offered.  Moreover,  he  was  very  badly  treated 
at  Covent  Garden,  and  often  not  given  parts  in 
which  he  could  do  himself  justice.  In  1809  came  a 
rupture,  and  the  managers  dismissed  him,  and  Incledon 
quitted  London  on  a  provincial  tour.  After  two  years 
he  was  re-engaged  by  Harris,  at  a  salary  of  seventeen 
pounds  a  week,  for  a  term  of  five  years ;  but  he 
stipulated  that  he  should  be  given  such  roles  as  suited 
him.  This  engagement  was  not  fulfilled,  and  a  fresh 
quarrel  ensued  that  led  to  a  final  rupture  at  the  end  of 
three  years,  and  he  quitted  Covent  Garden  for  ever, 
refusing  even  to  sing  in  the  Oratorios  performed  there 
during  Lent. 

He  had  made  his  first  appearance  at  Covent 
Garden  in  October,  1790,  as  Dermont  in  The  Poor 
Soldier^  by  Shield.  His  vocal  endowments  were 
certainly  great ;  he  had  a  voice  of  uncommon  power 
and  sweetness,  both  in  the  natural  and  falsetto.  The 
former  was  from  A  to  G,  a  compass  of  about  fourteen 


CHARLES    INCLEDON  379 

notes  ;  the  latter  he  could  use  from  D  to  E  or  even  F, 
or  about  ten  notes.  His  natural  voice  was  full  and 
open,  and  of  such  ductility,  that  when  he  sang 
pianissimo  it  retained  its  original  quality.  His  falsetto 
was  rich,  sweet,  and  brilliant,  and  totally  unlike  the 
other.  He  could  use  it  with  facility,  and  execute  in  it 
ornaments  of  a  certain  class  with  volubility  and  sweet- 
ness. His  shake  was  good,  and  his  intonation  much 
more  correct  than  is  common  to  singers  so  imperfectly 
educated.  But  he  never  quite  got  over  his  West- 
country  pronunciation.  His  strong  point  was  the 
ballad,  and  that  not  the  modern  sentimental  composi- 
tion, but  of  the  robust  old  school.  When  Ranzzini 
first  heard  him  at  Bath,  rolling  his  voice  upwards 
like  a  surge  of  the  sea,  till,  touching  the  top  note,  it 
expired  in  sweetness,  he  exclaimed  in  rapture,  ''  Corpo 
di  Dio!  it  was  ver'  lucky  dere  vas  some  roof  above  or 
you  would  be  heard  by  de  angels  in  Heaven,  and  make 
dem  jealous." 

Incledon  himself  used  to  tell  a  story  of  the  effect  he 
produced  upon  Mrs.  Siddons  :  "She  paid  me  one  of 
the  finest  compliments  I  ever  received.  I  sang  'The 
Storm  '  after  dinner  ;  she  cried  and  sobbed  like  a  child. 
Taking  both  my  hands,  she  said  :  '  All  that  I  and  my 
brother  ever  did  is  nothing  to  the  effect  you  produce.'" 

**I  remember,"  says  William  Robson,  in  The  Old 
Playgoer,  "when  the  elite  of  taste  and  science  and 
literature  were  assembled  to  pay  the  well-deserved 
compliment  of  a  dinner  to  John  Kemble,  and  to  present 
him  with  a  handsome  piece  of  plate  on  his  retirement, 
Incledon  sang,  when  requested,  his  best  song,  '  The 
Storm.'  The  effect  was  sublime,  the  silence  holy,  the 
feeling  intense  ;  and  while  Talma  was  recovering  from 
his  astonishment,  Kemble  placed  his  hand  on  the  arm 
of   the  great  French  actor,   and  said  in  an   agitated, 


38o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

emphatic,  and  proud  tone,  '  That  is  an  English  singer.'" 
Marsden  adds  that  Talma  jumped  up  from  his  seat  and 
embraced  him. 

Incledon  sang  with  great  feeling,  and  in  *'  The 
Storm  "  he  was  able  to  throw  his  whole  heart  into  the 
ballad,  for  not  only  had  he  encountered  many  a  storm 
at  sea,  but  he  had  been  shipwrecked  on  a  passage  from 
Liverpool  to  Dublin,  on  the  bar.  Some  of  those  on 
board  were  lost,  but  he  saved  himself  and  his  wife  by 
drawing  her  up  to  the  round-top  and  lashing  her  and 
himself  to  it.  From  this  perilous  position,  after  a 
duration  of  several  hours,  they  were  rescued  by  some 
fishermen  who  saw  the  wreck  from  the  shore. 

Incledon  belonged  in  town  to  "The  Glee  Club," 
composed  of  Shield,  Bannister,  Dignum,  himself,  and 
one  or  two  others.  It  met  on  Sunday  evenings  during 
the  season  at  the  Garrick  Coffee  House,  in  Bow  Street, 
once  a  fortnight.  At  one  of  these  little  gatherings 
Incledon  was  amusingly  hoaxed.  Though  an  admir- 
able singer,  he  was  a  shockingly  bad  actor.  When  he 
came  in  one  of  the  party  informed  him  that  an  intended 
musical  performance  for  a  charitable  purpose,  in  which 
he,  Incledon,  was  to  sing,  had  been  abandoned,  on 
account  of  the  Bishop  of  London  objecting  to  an 
actor  performing  in  church.  Incledon,  who  was  an 
extremely  irritable  man,  broke  out  in  a  violent  strain, 
conceiving  the  word  actor  to  have  been  employed  as  a 
term  of  reproach,  and  addressing  himself  to  Bannister, 
said  with  great  vehemence,  ''There,  Charles,  do  you 
hear  that?"  *' Why,"  said  Bannister,  ''if  I  were 
you,   I'd  make  his  XoxdiS^x"^  prove  his  words .^^ 

Incledon  one  day  was  at  Tattersall's,  when  Suett, 
the  actor,  also  happened  to  be  there,  and  asked  him 
whether  he  had  come  to  buy  a  horse.  "  Yes,"  said 
Charles,    "I   have.     I    must  ride,   it   is   good  for    my 


CHARLES    INCLEDON  381 

health.  But  why  are  you  here,  Dickey?  Do  you  think 
that  you  know  the  difference  between  a  horse  and  an 
ass?" 

'*  Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  comedian.  "If  you  were 
among  a  thousand  horses,  I  would  know  you  imme- 
diately." 

There  was  a  public-house  in  Bow  Street  called 
"  The  Brown  Bear,"  which  was  famous  for  a  compound 
liquor,  a  mixture  of  beer,  eggs,  sugar,  and  brandy. 
Incledon  and  Jack  Johnstone  were  partial  to  this,  and 
frequently  indulged  themselves  with  it  during  the 
evening  at  the  theatre,  and,  as  a  jest,  occasionally 
obtained  it  in  the  following  manner.  When  there 
happened  to  be  several  ladies  of  the  theatre  in  the 
green-room,  they  took  that  opportunity  to  represent  to 
them  the  hard  case  of  the  widow  of  a  provincial  actor, 
left  with  her  children  in  great  distress,  and  to  solicit 
from  them  a  few  shillings  to  enable  them  to  purchase 
some  flannel  during  that  inclement  season.  Having 
obtained  contributions,  they  despatched  the  dresser  to 
**The  Brown  Bear"  for  a  quart  of  egg-hot,  and  had 
the  modesty  not  to  drink  it  all  themselves,  but  to 
present  a  glass  to  each  of  the  females  who  had  sub- 
scribed, requesting  them  to  drink  to  the  health  of  the 
widow  and  the  flannel.  When  Incledon  and  Johnstone 
had  practised  this  trick  several  times.  Quick,  the 
comedian  of  the  same  theatre,  bribed  the  dresser  to 
infuse  into  the  mixture  a  dose  of  ipecacuanha,  and 
that  brought  the  joke  to  an  end.  But  the  mixture 
thenceforth,  without  the  last  ingredient,  was  popularly 
called  Flannel. 

Incledon  was  a  notoriously  vain  man.  Vanity  was 
his  besetting  sin.  "  In  pronouncing  his  own  name," 
says  Mr.  Matthews,  "he  believed  he  described  all  that 
was  admirable  in   human   nature.     It  would    happen, 


382  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

however,  that  this  perpetual  veneration  of  self  laid  him 
open  to  many  effects  which,  to  any  man  less  securely 
locked  and  bolted  in  his  own  conceit,  would  have 
opened  the  door  to  his  understanding.  But  he  had  no 
room  there  for  other  than  what  it  naturally  contained  ; 
and  the  bump  of  content  was  all-sufficient  to  fill  the 
otherwise  aching  void.  Incledon  called  himself  the 
'English  Ballad  Singer  ^  per  se ;  a  distinction  he  would 
not  have  exchanged  for  the  highest  in  the  realm  of 
talent.  Among  many  self-deceptions  arising  out  of  his 
one  great  foible,  he  was  impressed  with  the  belief  that 
he  was  a  reading  man." 

One  day  Matthews  found  him  in  his  house  deep  in 
study.  Incledon  looked  up  at  his  visitor,  and  said, 
*'  My  dear  Matthews,  I'm  improving  my  mind.  I'm 
reading  a  book  that  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every 
father  and  husband." 

*'What  is  it,  Charles?"  asked  Matthews,  and  lean- 
ing over  him  saw  that  it  was  a  volume  of  the  Newgate 
Calendar! 

It  had  become  a  habit,  during  a  fagging  run  of  a  new 
opera  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre  one  season,  for  cer- 
tain performers  to  club  a  batch  or  so  of  Madeira,  of 
which  they  took  a  glass  to  their  dressing-rooms.  In- 
cledon was  continually  finding  fault  with  the  quality, 
and  praising  up  his  own  private  stock  of  the  same  wine. 
At  the  close  of  the  season,  his  brother  actors  had  be- 
come weary  of  Incledon's  grumbling  over  the  Madeira, 
which  they  knew  to  be  excellent.  One  night  a  fellow- 
actor,  seeing  a  large  key  lying  upon  Incledon's  dress- 
ing-table, labelled  ^^  Cellar,''  and  Incledon  happening 
at  the  time  to  be  engaged  on  the  stage  till  the  end 
of  the  opera,  despatched  the  dresser  to  Brompton 
Crescent  with  the  key,  with  a  request  to  Mrs.  Incledon 
from  her  husband  that  she  would  send  one  dozen  of 


CHARLES   INCLEDON  383 

his  best  Madeira  by  the  bearer.  Mrs.  Incledon, 
wholly  unsuspicious  of  any  trick,  did  so.  When 
Incledon  left  the  stage,  the  confederates  told  him  that 
they  had  got  fresh  and  very  first-rate  Madeira  now,  as 
he  had  disliked  what  had  been  provided  before.  In- 
cledon took  a  glass,  made  a  wry  face,  took  another, 
and  said,  "  Beastly  stuff!  Never  in  my  life  tasted  such 
cheap,  vile  stuff." 

"Sorry,  Incledon,  you  do  not  appreciate  jvow^  own 
Madeira." 

Incledon  drank  pretty  heavily,  but  did  not  get  drunk. 
Here  is  a  bill  for  a  slight  evening  collation  at  the 
Orange  Coffee  House,  for  him  and  two  friends  : 

Mr.  Shield,  Welsh  Rabbit       . 

,,  2  g-lasses  of  Brandy  and  water 

Mr.  Parke,  Welsh  Rabbit 

,,  2  glasses  of  Brandy  and  water 

Mr.  Incleden,  Welsh  Rabbit   . 

,,  2  bottles  of  Madeira 

Parke,  in  his  Musical  Memoirs,  relates  an  instance  of 
Incledon's  selfishness.  He  says  of  him  that  he  was  a 
singular  compound  of  contrarieties,  amongst  which 
frugality  and  extravagance  were  conspicuous.  "Mr. 
Shield  the  composer,  Incledon,  and  I,  lived  for  many 
years  a  good  deal  together.  On  one  occasion  Shield 
and  myself  dined  with  Incledon  at  his  house  in  Bromp- 
ton  in  the  month  of  February.  When  I  had  arrived 
there,  Incledon  said  to  me,  'Bill,  do  you  like  ducks?' 
Conceiving,  from  the  snow  lying  on  the  ground,  that 
he  meant  wild  ones,  I  replied,  *  Yes,  I  like  a  good  wild 

duck   very   well.'     'D wild  ducks!'  said  he:    'I 

mean  tame  ducks,  my  boy';  adding,  '  I  bought  a  couple 
in  town  for  which  I  gave  eighteen  shillings.'  Soon 
afterwards  a  letter  arrived,  announcing  that  Mr.  Ray- 


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384  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

mond,  the  stage-manager  of  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  who 
was  to  have  been  of  the  party,  could  not  come  ;  in 
consequence  of  which,  I  presume,  only  one  duck  was 
placed  on  the  dinner  table,  with  some  roast  beef,  etc. 
When  Mrs.  Incledon  (who,  as  well  as  her  husband, 
was  fond  of  good  living)  had  carved  the  duck,  like  a 
good  wife  she  helped  her  husband  to  the  breast  part 
and  to  one  of  the  wings,  taking  at  the  same  time  the 
other  wing  to  herself,  reserving  for  Shield  and  me  the 
two  legs  and  the  back.  Shield,  who  looked  a  little 
awkward  at  this  specimen  of  selfishness  and  ill-manners, 
at  first  refused  the  limb  offered  to  him,  and  I  had 
declined  taking  the  other :  there  appeared  to  be  but  a 
poor  prospect  of  the  legs  walking  off,  till  Shield  re- 
lented and  took  one,  and  Incledon  the  other,  so  that 
they  were  speedily  out  of  sight.  The  back,  however, 
remained  behind,  and  afforded  a  titbit  for  the 
servants." 

On  another  occasion  he  was  giving  a  dinner  party, 
and  a  dish  was  brought  to  table  heaped  up,  apparently, 
with  fresh  herrings.  All  the  company,  except  Incle- 
don and  his  wife,  partook  of  these  fish  ;  some  were 
helped  a  second  time.  When  the  herrings  had  been 
cleared  away,  there  appeared  beneath  one  fine  white 
fish.  "  My  dear,"  said  Incledon,  "  what  can  that  be  ?  " 
"  I  believe  it  is  a  John  Dory,  Charles." 

Some  of  the  John  Dory  was  offered  to  the  company, 
but  they  had  eaten  enough  fish,  and  so  Incledon  and 
his  wife  ate  the  John  Dory  between  them. 

Incledon,  whilst  very  willing  to  hoax  others,  was 
easily  taken  in  himself.  As  his  dependence  was  entirely 
on  his  voice,  he  was  very  apprehensive  of  catching 
cold,  which,  in  consequence,  rendered  him  the  occa- 
sional dupe  of  quackery. 

During     Mr.      Kemble's     management    of    Covent 


CHARLES    INCLEDON  385 

Garden  Theatre,  one  of  the  wags  among  his  fellow- 
actors  informed  him  that  a  patent  lozenge  had  just  been 
invented  and  sold  only  at  a  jeweller's  in  Bond  Street, 
which  was  an  infallible  cure  for  hoarseness.  In  order 
that  he  might  the  more  readily  take  the  bait,  he  was 
told  that  Kemble  made  frequent  use  of  it.  Incledon 
immediately  inquired  of  the  great  actor,  who  very 
gravely  answered,  "Oh,  yes,  Charles;  the  patent 
lozenge  is  an  admirable  thing.  I  have  derived  the 
greatest  benefit  from  it,  when  I  kept  it  in  my  mouth  all 
night." 

Incledon  accordingly  went  to  Bond  Street  to  pur- 
chase the  valuable  lozenge,  and  the  man,  who  had  been 
previously  instructed,  gave  him  a  small  pebble  in  a 
pill-box.  Incledon  arrived  at  the  theatre  next  day  with 
the  stone  in  his  mouth  and  spitting  frequently.  He 
was,  of  course,  asked  if  the  patent  lozenge  did  him  any 
good.  ''Yes,"  replied  he,  spitting  ;  '*  I  kept  it  in  my 
mouth  (spitting)  all  night,  and  (spitting  again)  it 
has  this  remarkable  property,  that  it  does  not  dissolve," 
and  he  spat  again.  The  wag  requested  to  see  it,  and 
the  production  of  the  pebble  provoked  a  general  laugh. 

''Why,  Charles,"  said  Kemble,  "this  is  a  stone!  I 
meant  a  patent  lozenge.  You  should  have  gone  to  an 
apothecary's  and  not  to  a  jeweller's  for  it." 

Incledon,  when  he  found  that  he  was  hoaxed,  was 
full  of  wrath  ;  his  anger,  however,  soon  subsided. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "I  can't  grumble,  for  an  apothe- 
cary who  pretended  to  have  supplied  the  jeweller  with 
the  lozenge,  and  who  has  received  from  me  a  letter 
belauding  the  nostrum,  has  undertaken  in  return  to 
dispose  of  forty  pounds'  worth  of  tickets  for  my 
benefit." 

On  the  occasion  of  this,  or  some  other  benefit,  he  could 
not  refrain  from  going  every  morning  to  the  box-office 
2  c 


386  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

to  see  how  many  places  were  taken  ;  and  a  week  before 
the  last,  observing  the  names  to  be  few  besides  those  of 
his   own    private   friends,    he   said  to  the  box-keeper, 

Brandon,   "D it,  Jem,  if  the  nobility  don't  come 

forward,  I  shall  cut  but  a  poor  figure  this  time." 

"  Don't  be  afraid,"  said  Brandon  ;  "I  dare  say  we 
shall  do  a  good  deal  for  you  to-day." 

"  I  hope  so,"  replied  Incledon,  ''  and  as  I  go  home  to 
dinner  I  will  look  in  again." 

Incledon,  who  was  not  very  familiar  with  DebreWs 
Peerage,  returning  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
hastened  to  the  book,  and  read  aloud  the  following 
fictitious  names,  which  Brandon,  by  way  of  a  joke, 
had  put  down  in  his  absence:  "The  Marquis  of 
Piccadilly,"  "The  Duke  of  Windsor." 

"Ah,  ha!"  exclaimed  Incledon,  "  that  must  be  one 
of  the  Royal  Family." 

"Lord  Highgate  " — "The  Bishop  of  Gravesend." 
"Well,"  said  he  to  Brandon,  quite  delighted,  "if  we 
get  on  as  well  to-morrow  as  we  have  to-day,  I  shall 
have  a  number  of  distinguished  titles  present." 

Parke  says  of  him:  "Amongst  other  singularities, 
Incledon  was  restless,  and  could  not  stay  long  in  a 
place.  Having,  with  his  wife,  dined  at  my  house,  in 
the  evening,  whilst  the  party  v/ere  engaged  at  cards, 
he  absented  himself  for  a  considerable  time  ;  and,  Mrs. 
Incledon  noticing  it  particularly,  I  was  induced  to  go 
and  look  for  him.  Tracing  him  by  his  voice,  I  found 
him  in  the  kitchen,  helping  the  maids  to  pick  parsley, 
which  was  preparing  for  supper." 

Parke  adds  :  "  As  a  ballad  singer  he  was  unrivalled, 
and  his  manner  of  singing  sea  songs,  particularly 
Gay's  'Black-eyed  Susan,'  'The  Storm,'  by  Alex- 
ander Stevens,  and  Shield's  'Heaving  of  the  Lead,' 
can  only  be  appreciated  by  those  who  have  heard  him. 


CHARLES    INCLEDON  387 

''Though  he  evinced  a  strong  propensity  to  wine, 
he  never  appeared  to  be  intoxicated  by  it.  Dining 
with  a  party  at  his  house,  where  he  had  just  recovered 
from  a  very  severe  indisposition,  and  was,  as  he  said, 
advised  by  his  physician  to  be  very  abstemious,  he 
sometimes  after  dinner,  while  his  friends  were  drinking 
port  wine,  had  a  second  black  bottle  placed  before  him, 
which  I  conceived  to  contain  some  very  light  beverage 
suited  to  his  case,  till  he  said  to  me  in  an  under  tone, 
'  Bill,  take  a  glass  of  this,'  pointing  to  his  black  bottle, 
which  I  did,  and  found  it  to  be  Madeira." 

During  the  summer  Incledon  made  provincial  tours, 
giving  entertainments  moulded  on  those  of  Dibdin, 
and  these  were  very  successful  financially. 

After  quitting  Covent  Garden  he  performed  at  con- 
certs and  in  minor  theatres.  In  181 7  he  sailed  for 
America,  where  he  was  received  with  great  enthusiasm, 
and  realized  handsome  profits. 

His  last  appearance  in  London  was  under  Ellison  at 
Drury  Lane  in  1820,  and  his  last  appearance  on  any 
stage  was  at  Southampton,  where  he  had  first  appeared 
behind  the  footlights.  This  was  on  October  20th  in 
the  same  year.  He  resided  towards  the  end  of  his  days 
at  Brighton,  where  he  was  afflicted  with  a  slight 
paralytic  affliction,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  re- 
covered ;  and  in  February,  1826,  being  at  Worcester, 
he  experienced  a  second  attack,  which  proved  fatal, 
and  he  died  on  February  14th  in  the  sixty-eighth  year 
of  his  age.  His  remains  were  conveyed  from  Worcester 
to  Highgate,  where  they  were  interred. 


THE    MURDER    OF    RICHARD 
CORYTON 

RICHARD   CORYTON,    eldest  son   of  Peter 
Coryton   of  West    Newton    Ferrers,   in   the 
parish   of   S.    Mellion,    had    married    Ann, 
*-  daughter  of  Richard  Coode,  of  Morval,  and 
by  her  had  three  sons,  Peter,  Richard,  and  John. 

Peter,  the  grandfather,  died  on  24th  March,  1551, 
but  his  son  Richard  died  a  violent  death  in  a  tragic 
manner  in  1565.  Peter,  the  younger  and  heir  ap- 
parent, was  intent  on  marrying  Jane,  the  daughter 
of  John  Wrey,  of  Northrussell,  but  for  some  reason 
unexplained  his  father  Richard  took  a  violent  dis- 
like to  the  proposed  daughter-in-law,  and  when  his 
son  persisted  in  desiring  to  have  her  as  his  wife,  the 
father  flew  into  a  violent  passion  and  swore  that  if  he 
took  her  he  would  disinherit  him  of  all  the  lands  he 
could,  and  would  give  to  him  only  a  younger  son's 
portion,  constituting  Richard  head  of  the  family. 

Peter  remained  firm — he  was  then  in  London  at  the 
Court,  and  the  father  at  once  made  ready  to  leave 
Newton  Ferrers  and  take  his  journey  to  London  and 
disinherit  his  son  if  he  found  that  the  marriage  was 
still  insisted  on.  But  on  the  eve  of  his  starting,  as  he 
was  walking  in  the  grounds  of  Newton  Ferrers,  he  was 
suddenly  fallen  upon  by  two  scoundrels  named  Bartlett 
and  Baseley,  who  owed  him  a  grudge  over  some  matter 
that  is  not  mentioned,  and  they  cut  his  throat. 

388 


THE  MURDER  OF  RICHARD  CORYTON   389 

Bartlett  and  Baseley  were  apprehended  and  brought 
to  Launceston  before  the  sheriff,  Mr.  Trevanion,  and 
were  found  guilty  ;  but  he  could  not  believe  that  they 
were  revenging  some  private  wrong,  and  as  the  matter 
of  dispute  between  father  and  son  was  well  known,  and 
it  was  known  as  well  that  Richard  was  about  to  disin- 
herit his  eldest  son,  a  strong  suspicion  was  entertained 
by  Trevanion  that  the  murder  had  been  committed  at 
the  instigation  of  the  son,  and  he  gave  the  men 
hopes  of  a  reprieve — if  not  of  a  pardon — if  they  would 
reveal  the  name  of  the  man  who  had  urged  them  to 
commit  this  dreadful  crime.  He  behaved,  it  must  be 
seen,  in  a  most  unfair  manner,  hinting  his  suspicions 
to  the  two  wretches  and  giving  them  no  peace  till  they 
declared  that  they  had  been  set  on  by  Mr.  Peter  Coryton 
to  murder  his  father. 

As  Peter  Coryton  was  in  town,  the  two  criminals 
were  sent  to  Newgate  to  be  confronted  with  him  there. 
Whether  he  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  having 
instigated  the  murder  of  his  father  does  not  appear, 
but  it  is  probable. 

However,  if  that  were  the  case,  his  detention  was  not 
for  long,  as  both  murderers  recanted  when  in  London. 
The  following  curious  deed  of  "Evidence  concerning 
the  murder  of  Mr.  Coryton  "  is  preserved  in  Pentillie 
Castle. 

"To  all  true  Xtian  people  to  whom  this  present 
writing  shall  come,  or  shall  see,  hear  or  read,  Sir 
Richard  Champion,  Knt.,  Lord  Mayor,  and  the  Alder- 
men of  the  City  of  London  send  greeting  in  our  Lord 
God  everlasting. 

"Forasmuch  as  among  other,  the  great  and  mani- 
fold deeds  and  works  of  piety  and  charity,  the  witness- 
ing and  declaration  of  the  truth  of  all  matters  in 
question,  ambiguity  or  doubt  is  not  to  be  accounted  the 


390  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

least,  but  rather  as  a  choice  virtue  and  means  whereby 
the  truth,  tho'  many  times  suppressed  for  a  season, 
doth  the  rather  appear  brought  forth  into  the  sight  and 
knowledge  of  men  is  with  the  choicest  to  be  embraced, 
extolled,  and  commended. 

*'  We  therefore,  the  said  Lord  Mayor  and  Aldermen, 
do  signify  and  declare  unto  all  your  honours  and  wor- 
ships, unto  whom  it  shall  appertain,  and  to  every  of  the 
same,  that  the  days  of  the  date  of  these  presents  here- 
under written,  there  did  appear  and  come  personally 
before  us,  the  said  Mayor  and  Aldermen,  in  the 
Queen's  Majesty's  Court,  holden  before  the  said  Lord 
Mayor  and  Aldermen,  in  the  outer  chamber  of  the 
Guildhall  of  the  said  City,  the  Deponents  hereunder 
named,  who,  upon  their  own  free  will,  without  any 
manner  of  coercion  and  constraint,  upon  their  corpor- 
ate oaths  upon  the  holy  evangelists  of  Almighty  God, 
then  and  there  severally  before  us  taken  and  made  and 
exactly  examined  by  one  of  the  clerks  of  the  said  Court, 
said  and  deposed  in  all  things  as  hereafter  word  for 
word  ensueth. 

^'■Johii  Philpoit,  clerk,  Parson  of  S.  Michael  in  Corn- 
hill  of  London,  aged  29  years  or  thereabout,  deposed, 
sworn  and  examined,  the  day  hereunder  written,  saith 
and  deposeth  upon  his  oath  that  on  the  ninth  of 
November  last,  upon  a  Saturday,  about  four  of  the 
clock  in  the  afternoon,  but  what  day  of  the  week  it 
was  he  doth  not  now  remember— this  examinate  was 
required  by  Mr.  Howes,  one  of  the  Sheriffs  of  London, 
and  in  the  name  of  the  other  sheriff,^  that  he  would  go 
unto  Newgate,  and  there  to  examine  one  Rafe  Bartlett, 
prisoner  within  the  same  place,  who  was  then  very 
sick  and  like  to  die,  to  the  intent  to  understand  of  him 
whether  one  Peter  Curryngton,  whom  before  he  had 

^  John  Rivers  and  James  Howes  were  sheriffs. 


THE  MURDER  OF  RICHARD  CORYTON  391 

accused  for  the  murder  of  his  own  father,  were  culpable 
therein  or  no.  Whereupon  this  examinate  went  to  the 
said  gaol  of  Newgate,  and  by  the  way  he  did  meet 
with  two  ministers,  the  one  named  Edward  Wilkinson, 
and  the  other  John  Brown,  whom  he  desired  to  go 
with  him,  who  went  with  him  accordingly,  and  coming 
to  the  aforesaid  gaol  of  Newgate,  he  desired  the  keeper 
that  they  might  talk  with  the  said  Bartlett,  and  the 
said  keeper  went  down  with  them  into  the  prison,  and 
brought  them  unto  him,  and  there  finding  him  very 
sore  sick,  persuaded  with  him,  for  that  he  was  more 
like  to  die  than  live,  in  discharge  of  his  conscience, 
as  he  would  answer  before  God,  to  declare  unto  them 
whether  that  the  aforesaid  Peter  Curry ngton,  whom 
he  had  accused  to  be  privy  and  procurer  of  him  and 
one  Baseley  to  do  the  same  murder  were  true  Yea 
or  No. 

"  Whereupon  he  confessed  and  said  that  he  had  most 
untruly  accused  the  said  Peter  Curryngton,  for  he  was 
never  privy,  nor  knew  of  it,  but  that  it  was  he  himself 
and  the  said  Baseley,  without  the  knowledge  of  any 
other,  and  declared  the  cause  why  they  had  so  accused 
him  was,  for  that  after  they  were  found  guilty  for  the 
same  matter,  the  Sheriff  of  Cornwall  did  examine  them 
if  there  were  any  other  privy  or  procuring  to  the  same 
murder  ;  and  they  agreed  together  to  the  intent  to  pre- 
serve their  lives,  or  at  the  least  to  prolong  the  same, 
falsely  to  accuse  the  said  Peter  Curryngton  ;  and  the 
same  Bartlett  showed  himself  very  sorry  and  repentant 
for  his  said  accusation,  saying,  *  Think  you  that  Mr. 
Curryngton  will  forgive  me?' 

"And  this  examinate  answered  him,  'There  is  no 
doubt  he  will,  for  otherwise  he  is  not  of  God."  Where- 
with he  seemed  to  be  satisfied.  And  this  examinate  saith 
that  the  said  Bartlett   died  within  two  or  three  days 


392  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

after ;  and  going  from  him  up  the  stairs,  he,  the  exam- 
inate  and  the  others  were  brought  unto  the  aforesaid 
Baseley,  who  confessed  and  declared  unto  them  in 
everything  the  innocency  of  the  said  Peter  Curryngton, 
concerning  the  same  murder,  and  that  it  was  he  and  the 
said  Bartlett  that  committed  the  same  without  the  know- 
ledge or  consent  of  any  other ;  and  that  they  did 
accuse  him  for  the  purpose  afore  alleged,  by  the  said 
Bartlett,  and  more  in  effect  this  examinate  cannot  say. 
^^  Edward  Wilkinson  of  London,  Clerk,  Parson  of  the 
parish  church  of  S.  Antonine  in  London,  aged  33  years 
or  thereabout,  deposed,  sworn  and  examined,  the  said 
day  and  year  hereunder  written,  saith  and  deposeth 
upon  his  oath,  about  November  last,  the  exact  time  the 
examinate  remembereth  not,  he  did  meet  one  Mr. 
Philpott,  parson  of  S.  Michael  in  Cornhill,  in  Cheap- 
side,  who  desired  this  examinate  that  he  would  go 
back  with  him  to  Newgate,  who  did  so,  and  by  the  way 
as  they  went,  they  met  with  Master  Brown,  a  minister, 
who  likewise  went  with  them  to  Newgate,  and  the 
deposition  of  the  foresaid  Mr.  Philpott,  being  unto 
him  read,  and  he,  well  perusing  and  understanding  the 
same,  saith  and  deposeth  that  all  the  matter  declared 
and  spoken  by  the  said  Bartlett,  as  it  is  contained  in 
the  deposition  of  the  said  Master  Philpott,  is  very  true 
in  all  things,  and  was  spoken  in  the  presence  and 
hearing  of  this  examinate,  and  further,  this  examinate 
saith  that  the  words  likewise  spoken  and  declared  by 
the  said  Baseley,  named  in  the  said  deposition  of  the 
said  Master  Philpott,  are  likewise  very  true,  and  were 
in  the  presence  and  hearing  of  this  examinate.  And 
further,  this  examinate  saith  that  he  did  persuade  and 
exhort  the  said  Baseley,  saying  unto  him,  'Take  good 
heed  that  you  do  not  lie.  You  have  already  murdered 
one,  you  have  fa'sely  accused  another,  and  you  seem  to 


THE  MURDER  OF  RICHARD  CORYTON  393 

slander  the  Sheriff  (of  Cornwall).'  And  the  said  Baseley 
answered,  '  The  truth  is,  Master  Sheriff  bade  me  devise 
some  way  to  save  myself,  and  I  said  I  could  not  tell 
how, — and  he  said  the  way  (to  do  so)  was  to  accuse  some 
other.  And  he  examined  me  whether  there  was  any  one 
privy  or  procuring  the  said  murder,  beside  ourselves, 
saying  unto  me,  **  You  could  not  do  it  alone.  There  be 
divers  of  the  Curryngtons.  Was  there  none  of  them 
privy  or  consenting  to  the  same?  You  are  best  to 
advise  and  consider  yourself,  for  the  telling  the  truth 
in  accusation  of  others,  might  be  the  way  to  save  their 
(i.e.  your  own)  lives."  Whereupon  I  returned  to  the 
said  Bartlett  and  conferred  with  him,  and  we  did  agree 
together  falsely  to  accuse  Peter  Curryngton,  for  the 
saving  of  our  own  lives  ' ;  which  accusation  was  untrue, 
and  that  the  said  Peter  Curryngton  was  very  ignorant 
and  innocent  of  the  same  murder  ;  and  that  he  was  sorry 
and  did  repent  that  he  had  accused  him  untruly.  And 
more  he  cannot  say. 

^''Edmund  Mar?ier,  citizen  of  London  and  keeper 
of  the  Gaol  of  Newgate,  aged  forty-five  years  or  there- 
about, deposed,  etc.  .  .  .  saith  and  deposeth  upon  his  oath 
that  the  15th  day  of  November  last  past,  being  Saturday, 
John  Philpott,  clerk,  etc.,  Edward  Wilkinson  and  John 
Brown,  ministers,  came  to  the  gaol  of  Newgate  from 
the  Sheriff  of  London,  by  a  token,  to  this  examinate, 
to  speak  with  one  Rafe  Bartlett,  prisoner  there,  being 
very  sore  sick." 

The  deposition  of  the  gaoler  was  merely  a  confirma- 
tion of  what  had  been  deposed  by  the  two  previous 
witnesses. 

"  William  Margytte,  of  London,  Clerk,  Reader  of 
the  Morning  Prayer  in  the  Parish  of  S.  Sepulchre, 
and  Ordinary  for  the  Bishop  of  London,  of  the  gaol 
of    Newgate,   aged  forty  years,   deposed,   sworn,   and 


394  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

examined,  etc.,  that  about  September  last  past,  one 
Richard  Baseley,  then  being  prisoner  in  Newgate,  and 
very  sore  sick,  and  like  to  die,  did  send  for  this  ex- 
aminate,  to  speak  with  him,  and  this  examinate  coming 
unto  him,  he  said,  *  This  is  the  cause  that  I  send  for 
you.  I  am  very  sore  sick,  and  more  like  to  die  than 
to  live,  and  I  think  I  shall  not  escape  this  sicknesse, 
and  if  I  do,  yet  I  must  die  for  the  law,  for  I  and 
one  of  my  neighbours  did  murder  Master  Curryngton, 
which  I  do  not  much  repent.  But  the  very  cause  that 
I  sent  for  you  is  to  be  a  means  to  Peter  Curryngton, 
his  son,  whom  I  have  accused  to  be  privy  and  pro- 
curing of  the  same  murder,  that  he  would  forgive  me, 
for  I  have  falsely  accused  him.  For  as  I  trust  to  be 
saved  by  Christ,  he  is  utterly  ignorant  of  the  same 
murder,  and  there  was  none  privy  to  the  same  but  he, 
the  said  Baseley  himself,  and  the  said  Bartlett,  who 
committed  the  same.'  And  this  examinate  demanded 
of  him  why  he  did  accuse  Peter  Curryngton.  And  he 
said  that  the  cause  was  that  after  they  were  found 
guilty  of  the  murder,  Mr.  Trevannyon,  Sheriff  of 
Cornwall,  came  unto  and  examined  him,  as  to  who  was 
privy  to  the  murder  more  than  they  ;  saying  that  they 
being  so  simple  would  not  do  the  same  without  assist- 
ance ;  saying  further  that  if  he  would  confess  the  truth 
as  to  who  helped  or  procured  them  to  do  the  same,  he 
would  cause  his  chain  to  be  stricken  off,  and  carry 
him  home  with  him  at  night,  and  would  save  his  life, 
though  it  cost  him  (sum  illegible),  and  thereupon  in 
hope  of  life  he  did  accuse  the  said  Peter  Curryngton 
falsely  and  wrongfully ;  and  thereupon  he  said  he 
would  take  his  death.  And  the  examinate,  persuading 
him  and  advising  him  to  repent  and  be  sorry  for  the 
murder  of  the  said  Curryngton,  calling  to  God  heartily 
for  mercy  and  forgiveness  of  the  same.     Which  in  the 


THE  MURDER  OF  RICHARD  CORYTON  395 

end  with  much  ado  he  seemed  to  be  sorry  for  .  .  .  and 
also  the  examinate  went  into  the  same  gaol  at  Newgate, 
to  speak  to  Roll  Bartlett,  to  understand  whether  it 
were  true  what  the  said  Baseley  had  confessed  ;  who 
declared  unto  the  examinate,  as  he  should  answer 
before  God,  that  Peter  Curryngton  was  never  privy 
nor  of  consent  to  the  murder  of  his  father,  and  that 
there  was  none  privy  or  knew  it  but  only  he  and  the 
said  Baseley  ;  and  the  cause  why  they  did  kill  him  was 
for  that  he  had  misused  them  many  ways,  and  also, 
they  thought  no  man  would  be  sorry  for  his  death. 
And  this  examinate  demanded  of  him  the  cause  where- 
fore he  did  accuse  the  said  Peter  Curryngton,  he 
answered,  'The  fair  promises  of  the  Sheriff,  and  to 
the  interest  to  preserve  their  lives,  or,  at  least,  to  pro- 
long them,  was  the  only  cause,'  etc. 

*'  In  faith  and  testimony  whereof  we  the  said  Mayor 
and  Aldermen, — the  common  seal  of  our  office  of 
Mayoralty  of  the  said  city,  to  these  presents,  have  caused 
to  be  put,  written  at  the  said  city  of  London  on  the  23rd 
day  of  May,  1566,  in  the  eighth  year  of  the  reign  of  our 
most  gracious  and  benign  Sovereign  Lady  Elizabeth, 
etc.,  etc." 

It  would  appear  that  the  murdered  man  had  been  not 
only  a  dragon  in  his  house,  but  also  in  the  entire 
neighbourhood,  oppressing  his  tenants  and  disliked 
by  the  gentry.  It  is  hard  not  to  suspect  that  Sir  Hugh 
Trevanion  of  Carhayes,  who  was  then  Sheriff  of 
Cornwall,  bore  a  personal  grudge  against  Peter 
Coryton. 

Peter,  all  obstacle  to  his  marriage  being  removed, 
married  the  lady  of  his  choice,  and  by  her  had  three 
sons  and  six  daughters.    He  died  the  13th  August,  1603. 

The  murderer  Baseley  died  in  Newgate,  but  Bartlett 
was  sent  back  to  Launceslon  and  there  hanged. 


396  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

But  this  is  not  the  "end  of  this  shocking  affair,"  for 
eighty  years  after  the  murder,  John  Coryton,  of  Probus, 
laid  claim  to  the  estates  of  the  then  John  Coryton,  of 
Newton  Ferrers,  on  the  plea  that  Peter  had  forfeited 
all  rights  to  the  inheritance  because  he  had  murdered 
his  father. 

**To  the  Right  Hon.  Houses  of  Parliament,  now 
sitting  at  Westminster. 

The  Humble  Petition  of  John  Coryton  of  the  parish  of 
Probus,   in  the  County  of  Cornwall,  gent.,  a  great 
sufferer  for  and  in  his  Majesty's  cause. 
Humbly  sheweth — 

That  yo''  petitioner  was  and  is  the  son  of  Scipio 
Coryton,  and  Scipio  was  son  of  John,  and  John  was  son 
of  Richard  Coryton,  Esq.,  of  West  Newton  Ferrers 
in  the  said  county  of  Cornwall,  who  about  eighty 
years  since  was  most  barbarously  murdered  by  two 
fellows  who  were  maintained  by  the  said  Richard 
Coryton,  without  any  cause  or  hurt  to  them,  and  that 
the  said  Richard  having  three  sons,  viz.  Peter,  the 
firstborn,  Richard  the  second,  John  the  third,  your 
petitioner's  grandfather.  The  said  Peter  his  firstborn 
would  have  married  with  one  Mr.  Wrey's  daughter,  to 
w''  his  father  would  not  consent,  but  threatened  his 
said  son  that  if  he  should  marry  with  her  that  he  w^' 
disinherit  him  of  all  the  lands  he  could.  And  that  he, 
the  said  Peter,  his  firstborn,  should  have  but  a  younger 
son's  portion.  The  said  Peter,  his  firstborn,  insisted  in 
the  same  match  by  continuing  his  suit  to  her.  Being 
at  the  Court  in  London,  his  said  father  purposing  his 
journey  for  London  the  Thursday  following,  to  effect 
his  said  purpose  of  disinheriting  his  said  son.  The  said 
Mr.  Wrey  living  about  those  parts  of  West  Newton 
Ferrers.     The  Tuesday  before  walking  in   part  of  his 


THE   MURDER  OF  RICHARD  CORYTON  397 

said  barton  of  West  Newton,  was  set  upon  by  these 
two  fellows  (their  names  were  Hartley  and  Baselly)  and 
cruelly  murdered  by  cutting  of  his  throat.  The  fellows 
were  taken  and  the  one  died  in  prison,  or  was  made  away 
with,  the  other  was  brought  to  Launceston  and  there 
hanged  without  any  confession  of  who  set  them  on. 
One  of  the  said  Mr.  Wrey's  sons  (viz.)  Edmund,  was 
seen  at  the  place  of  execution  with  a  black  box  under  his 
arm  in  the  sight  of  the  malefactor,  who  was  cast  down 
without  any  confession.  These  murderers  being  gone, 
the  said  Peter  married  the  said  Mr.  Wrey's  daughter, 
and  entered  as  heir  on  his  father's  estate  with  about 
;^2000  per  annum,  his  said  brothers  having  nothing  ; 
he  gave  a  living  to  Richard,  his  said  brother,  during 
his  life.  But  your  petitioner's  grandfather,  knowing  of 
the  wrong  done  him,  would  not  take  his  brother's  small 
pittance,  for  he  always  said  that  he  had  right  to  a 
greater  part  of  the  estate  than  he  would  give  him. 
Your  petitioner's  grandfather  marrying  a  gentlewoman 
who  had  a  small  fortune,  went  to  law  with  his  said 
brother  for  his  part  of  the  estate,  but  being  not  able  to 
contend  with  him  by  reason  of  his  small  ability  and  the 
other's  greatness,  was  forced  to  give  over.  And  he  con- 
tinually keeped  all  the  estate  to  the  impoverishing  of 
your  petitioner's  grandfather,  and  they  that  defended 
him.  And  your  petitioner's  father  being  not  able  to 
contend  with  him  by  reason  of  his  poverty,  leaving  me, 
his  son,  in  like  case,  being  not  able  any  other  way  to 
seek  his  right,  but  by  petitioning  to  your  Honours  ; 
your  petitioner  being  impoverished  and  brought  very 
low  by  following  his  Majesty's  service  all  along  the  war 
in  England  and  Ireland,  and  with  His  Highness  Prince 
Rupert  in  France  also,  and  other  parts  where  your 
petitioner  received  many  cruel  wounds  and  many  im- 
prisonments, which  I  forbare  to  relate  for  burden  and 


398 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


trouble  to  your  Honours,  your  petitioner  and  his  wife 
being  no  longer  able  to  subsist. 

"These  premises  considered,  your  poor  petitioner 
humbly  begs  your  Honours  that  you  will  be  pleased 
to  call  John  Coryton,  Esq.,  of  West  Newton  Ferrers, 
the  possessor  of  the  said  estates,  before  your  Honours  ; 
or  where  your  Honours  shall  think  fit,  to  show  cause 
why  your  petitioner  hath  not  an  inheritance  of  his  said 
father's  estate,  which  hath  been  so  long  kept  from 
him,  and  his  said  father,  and  your  petitioner  shall 
pray,  etc." 

The  pedigree  was  as  follows  : — 

Richard  Coryton=j=Anne,  dau.  of  Rich'' 
murdered  1565.  Coode  of  Morval. 


da.     of    John 
Wrey.  d.  1618. 


I 
Jane  =  Peter  Coryton. 


d.     13 
1602. 


Aug., 


Richard  C. 
2nd  son. 


William  C.—Eliz.  dau.  of  Sir 
John  Chichester 
of  Rawleigh. 


Sir  John  Coryton 
bp.  July  24,   1621 ; 
bur.  Aug-.  23,  1680. 
Bart.  1661. 


Anne,  da.  of  J.  Mills 
of  Colebrook. 
bp.  29  Nov.,  1620; 
m.  27  Dec,  1643 ; 
d.  27  Sept.,  1677. 


John  C. 
3rd  son. 


Scipio  C. 


John  Coryton 
of  Probus. 


One  little  incident  may  be  noted  :  Richard  Coryton, 
who  was  murdered,  was  one  of  twenty-four  children. 

John  Coryton  of  Probus  got  nothing  by  his  applica- 
tion. 


SIR  JAMES  TILLIE,  KNT. 

HIGH  above  the  Tamar  where  it  is  most  tor- 
tuous, and  commanding  loop  upon  loop 
of  this  beautiful  river,  with  the  blue 
bank  of  Dartmoor  standing  up  in  the  east 
as  a  rising  thundercloud,  stands  a  red -brick  tower 
upon  an  elevated  platform,  that  is  reached  by  a  flight 
of  stone  steps. 

On  the  east  side  of  this  tower  is  a  recess  in  the  thick- 
ness of  the  wall,  with  stone  benches,  and  at  the  back, 
high  up,  is  a  little  window  formed  of  two  slits,  through 
which  the  interior  can  be  seen  only  by  putting  one  foot 
on  the  bench  and  the  other  on  a  projecting  corbel  in 
the  wall.  What  is  then  revealed  is  an  interior  open  to 
the  sky,  and  with  a  statue  of  a  seated  man,  life  size, 
opposite,  in  wig  and  lace  steenkirk,  one  hand  resting 
on  his  knee  and  the  other  on  the  arm  of  his  chair. 

There  is  no  door  of  admission  into  the  tower  ;  a 
doorway  has  been  bricked  up.  Formerly  the  tower 
consisted  of  two  storeys,  with  a  floor  above  the  square 
chamber  in  which  is  the  statue,  and  a  roof  over  the 
upper  apartment.     But  roof  and  floor  have  gone. 

In  the  summer  of  1907  the  walled-up  doorway  had  to 
be  opened,  so  that  a  large  tree  might  be  cut  down  that 
had  grown  in  the  midst  of  the  tower  and  threatened  it 
with  injury.  No  sooner  was  it  bruited  about  that 
access  to  the  interior  was  to  be  had  than  crowds  of 
visitors  came  out  from  Plymouth  and  Devonport, 
expecting   to    be   able   to   find   within   some    relics   of 

399 


400  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Sir  James  Tillie,  Bart.,  whose  burial-place  was  the 
lower  chamber,  where  now  is  only  to  be  seen  his  statue. 

Hals  says,  the  spelling  modernized  :  "  About  the 
year  1712  Sir  James  Tillie  died,  and,  as  I  am  in- 
formed, by  his  last  will  and  testament  obliged  his 
adopted  heir,  one  Woolley,  his  sister's  son,  not  only 
to  assume  his  name  (having  no  legitimate  issue), 
but  that  he  should  not  inter  his  body  after  death  in 
the  earth,  but  fasten  it  in  the  chair  where  he  died 
with  wire  —  his  hat,  wig,  rings,  gloves,  and  best 
apparel  on,  shoes  and  stockings,  and  surround  the 
same  with  an  oak  chest,  box,  or  coffin,  in  which  his 
books  and  papers  should  be  laid,  with  pen  and  ink 
also— and  build  for  the  reception  thereof,  in  a  certain 
field  of  his  lands,  a  walled  vault  or  grot,  to  be  arched 
with  moorstone,  in  which  repository  it  should  be  laid 
without  Christian  burial ;  for  that,  as  he  said  but  an 
hour  before  he  died,  in  two  years  space  he  would  be  at 
Pentillie  again  ;  over  this  vault  his  heir  likewise  was 
obliged  to  build  a  fine  chamber,  and  set  up  therein  the 
picture  of  him,  his  lady,  and  adopted  heir,  for  ever  ; 
and  at  the  end  of  this  vault  and  chamber  to  erect  a 
spire  or  lofty  monument  of  stone,  from  thence  for 
spectators  to  overlook  the  contiguous  country,  Ply- 
mouth Sound  and  Harbour ;  all  which,  as  I  am  told, 
is  accordingly  performed  by  his  heir,  whose  successors 
are  obliged  to  repair  the  same  for  ever  out  of  his  lands 
and  rents,  under  penalty  of  losing  both. 

*'  However,  I  hear  lately,  notwithstanding  this  his 
promise  of  returning  in  two  years  to  Pentillie,  that 
Sir  James's  body  is  eaten  out  with  worms,  and  his 
bones  or  skeleton  fallen  down  to  the  ground  from  the 
chair  wherein  it  was  seated,  about  four  years  after  it 
was  set  up  ;  his  wig,  books,  wearing  apparel,  also 
rotten  in  the  box  or  chair  where  it  was  first  laid." 


SIR   JAMES    TlLl.IK,    KNT. 


SIR   JAMES   TILLIE,    KNT.  401 

The  lower  chamber,  not  underground,  in  which  Sir 
James  was  seated  was  not  vaulted  over  as  he  directed. 
The  portraits  in  the  upper  chamber  have  been  removed 
to  Pentillie  Castle,  where  they  may  now  be  seen. 

But,  as  already  intimated,  the  statue  was  erected 
where  the  body  was,  and  beneath  it  is  the  inscrip- 
tion : — 

This  Monument  is  erected 

In  Memory 

of 

S''  James  Tillie  kn'  who  dyed 

15  of  Nov"^ 

Anno  Domini  1713 

And  in  y®  67"^  year  of  his  Age. 

It  is  thought — but  no  evidence  exists  to  show  that  it 
was  so — that  the  bones  of  Sir  James  were  collected  by 
Mary  Jemima,  the  last  of  the  Tillie  family  and  the 
heiress  who  carried  Pentillie  to  the  Coryton  family 
about  1770,  and  transferred  to  the  churchyard  of  S. 
Mellion.  When  the  chamber  was  entered  recently  and 
the  tree  cut  down  and  eradicated,  no  traces  of  the  dead 
man  could  be  found. 

Hals,  in  his  MS.  History  of  Cornwall,  says  :  *'  Pen- 
tyley  a  hous  and  church  built  by  one  Mr.  James  Tyley, 
son  of  ...  in  ye  parish  of  S.  Keverne,  labourer  as 
I  am  inform'd."  The  father's  name  was  John.  "  And 
was  placed  by  him  a  servant  or  horseman  to  S'""  John 
Coryton,  Bart.,  the  Elder,  who  afterwards  by  his 
assistance  learning  the  inferiour  practice  of  the  Lawe 
under  an  Atturney,  became  his  Steward,  in  which 
caracter  by  his  Care  and  Industry  he  soon  grew  Rich, 
soe  that  he  marryed  Sir  Henry  Vane's  daughter  ;  by 
whome  he  had  a  good  fortune  or  estate,  but  noe  issue  ; 
at  Length  after  the  Death  of  his  Master  (1680)  he  be- 
came a  Guardian  in  Trust  for  his  younger  children,  and 


402  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Steward  to  their  elder  Brother,  Sir  John,  that  marryed 
Chiverton,  whereby  he  augmented  his  wealth  and  fame 
to  a  greater  pitch.  When,  soon  after.  King  James  H 
came  to  the  Crown,  this  gentleman  by  a  great  suiiie  of 
money  and  false  representation  of  himselfe  obtained 
the  favour  of  knighthood  at  his  hands,  but  that  Kinge 
some  short  while  after  beinge  inform'd  that  Mr.  Tyley 
was  at  first  but  a  Groome  or  Horseman  to  Sir  John  Cory- 
ton,  that  he  was  no  Gentleman  of  Blood  or  armes,  and 
yet  gave  for  his  Coat-armour  the  armes  of  Count  Tillye 
of  Germany,  ordered  the  Heraulds  to  enquire  into  this 
matter ;  who  findinge  this  information  trew,  by  the 
King's  order  entered  his  Chamber  at  London,  tooke 
downe  those  arms,  tore  others  in  pieces,  and  fastened 
them  all  to  Horse  tayles  and  drew  them  through  the 
streets  of  London,  to  his  perpetuall  Disgrace,  and  dis- 
graced him  from  the  dignity  of  that  beinge,  and  impos'd 
a  fyne  of  £s^o  upon  him  for  so  doing,  as  I  am  inform'd 
— but  alas,  maugre  all  those  proceedings,  after  the  death 
of  his  then  Master,  Sir  John  Coryton  the  Younger,  not 
without  suspicion  of  being  poysoned,  he  soon  marryed 
his  Lady,  with  whome  Common  fame  said  he  was  too 
familiar  before,  soe  that  he  became  possest  of  her 
goods  and  chattels,  and  a  great  Joynture.  Whereby 
he  liveth  in  much  pleasure  and  comfort  in  this  place, 
honour'd  of  some,  lov'd  of  none  ;  admiring  himself  for 
the  Bulk  of  his  Riches  and  the  Arts  and  Contrivances 
by  which  he  gott  it — some  of  which  were  altogether  un- 
lawfull,  witness  his  steward,  Mr.  Elliott,  being  credited 
for  a  mint  and  coyning  false  money  for  his  use  ;  who 
on  notice  thereof  forsooke  this  Land,  and  fled  beyond 
the  Seas,  though  the  other  Agent  and  Confederate, 
Cavals  Popjoye,  indicted  for  the  same  crime  of  High 
Treason  committed  at  Saltash,  was  taken,  tryed  and 
found  guilty  and  executed  at  Lanceston,  1695,  at  which 


SIR   JAMES   TILLIE,    KNT.  403 

tyme  the  writer  of  these  Lynes  was  one  of  the  Grand 
Jury  for  the  body  of  this  County,  that  found  those 
Bills — when  William  Williams  of  Treworgy  in  Probus 
Esq.  was  sheriff,  and  John  Waddon,  Esq.,  foreman  of 
the  Jury." 

After  this,  written  at  a  later  date,  comes  the  passage 
relative  to  the  burial  arrangements  of  Sir  James, 
already  quoted. 

With  regard  to  the  above  statement,  a  few  remarks 
may  be  made.  Sir  John  Coryton  died  in  1680,  just 
after  he  had  obtained  a  licence  for  concluding  a  second 
marriage  with  Anne  Wayte,  of  Acton,  widow. 

His  son.  Sir  John,  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  and 
co-heiress  of  Sir  Richard  Chiverton,  Kt.,  Lord  Mayor 
of  London,  and  a  wealthy  skinner.  Sir  James  Tillie's 
first  wife  was  Margaret,  daughter  of  Sir  Harry  Vane, 
the  Parliamentarian,  who  was  executed  in  1662.  Tillie 
was  knighted  at  Whitehall,  14th  January,  1686-7,  ^.nd 
he  built  Pentillie  Castle.  In  one  of  the  quadrangles  of 
the  castle  is  a  leaden  statue  of  the  knight  with  flowing 
wig,  a  roll  of  papers  in  one  hand  like  the  baton  of  a 
field-marshal,  and  with  preternaturally  short  legs. 

In  Luttrell's  Brief  Relatmi  of  State  Affairs  there  is 
some  mention  of  the  affair  of  the  assumed  arms.  He 
says,  under  date  November  26th,  1687:  "Sir  James 
Tillie  of  Cornwall  was  brought  up  upon  an  habeas 
corpus,  being  committed  by  the  Court  of  Chivalry  for 
refusing  to  find  bail  there,  and  was  remanded. 

"January  19th,  1687-8.  The  Court  of  Chivalry  satt, 
and  fined  Sir  James  Tilly  ;^20o  for  his  crime." 

Hals,  accordingly,  was  wrong  in  saying  that  he  was 
fined  £<po. 

Hals  thinks  (he  does  no  more)  that  Sir  James  was 
mixed  up  in  the  coining  business.  If  he  got  rich  by 
nefarious    practices,    it   was    probably    by   filling    his 


404  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

pockets  out  of  the  Coryton  estates,  of  which  he  was 
steward  under  two  of  the  baronets. 

Sir  James  Tillie's  will  by  no  means  carries  with  it 
the  character  of  impiety  attributed  to  it  by  Hals.  It  is 
headed:  "Dei  voluntas  fiat,  et  mei  hac  performet."  In 
it  he  mentions  the  date  of  his  birth,  November  i6th, 
1645.  It  is  a  very  long  will,  and  in  it  he  laboured 
in  every  conceivable  way  to  found  a  family.  As  he 
had  no  children  of  his  own,  he  made  his  eldest  nephew 
heir,  but  in  the  event  of  his  dying  without  issue,  then 
his  estates  passed  to  his  second,  and  so  on.  At  the  end 
he  wrote:  "  I  desire  my  Body  may  have  a  private  inter- 
ment at  and  in  such  a  place  in  Pentillie  Castle  as  I  have 
acquainted  my  dearest  wife,  the  Lady  Elizabeth  Tillie, 
with,  and  to  have  such  monument  erected  and  inscrip- 
tion thereon  made  as  I  have  desired  my  said  wife." 

The  paper  of  instructions  left  with  her  is  still  extant ; 
of  that  more  presently.  He  proceeds:  "Although  I 
have  made  a  provision  for  my  said  wife  out  of  my 
Lands,  yet  in  regard  to  her  kindness  to  me  whilst 
living,  and  that  tenderness  to  my  memory  which  I  know 
she  will  have  after  my  death,  for  the  uses  hereinafter 
mentioned,  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  said  wife  all 
her  Paraphaanalia  [sic],  apparell,  Jewells  and  ornaments 
of  her  Person,  all  the  Books,  China,  Portraits  and 
Toyes  in  her  Closett  at  Pentillie  Castle,  my  Coach, 
Chariott,  Calash  and  set  of  six  horses  with  two  such  of 
my  other  Horses  and  Cowes  as  shall  please  her  to  elect, 
and  also  a  Hundred  Guineas  in  money  for  her  life  and 
then  for  her  grandchildren. 

"To  Altmira  Tillie  go  the  ^^500  payable  on  the  day 
of  marriage  with  either  one  of  my  said  nephews.  But 
on  her  marriage  with  any  other  my  will  is  that  she  shall 
have  only  ;^25o. 

"To  my  Cousin  Mary  Mattock  ;^5o  to  be  paid  on 


SIR   JAMES   TILLIE,    KNT.  405 

her  marriage  Day  with  any  other  than  William  Parkes, 
but  on  her  marriage  with  him  this  legacy  is  to  be  void. 

^^  Then  I  give  unto  my  said  Wife  fifty  pounds  for  my 
ffunerall  desireing  four  of  my  ancientest  workmen  may 
lay  me  in  my  grave,  unto  whom  I  give  fforty  shillings 
apiece.  And  to  William  Trenaman  ten  pounds.  And 
to  my  honest  Richard  Lawreate  in  Meate  and  Drink 
for  his  owne  person  to  the  value  of  Two  shillings  and 
sixpence  per  weeke  at  Pentillie  during  his  Life.  To  my 
domestique  servants  living  with  me  at  my  Death  fforty 
shillings  each,  To  Samuel  Holman  his  Tooles,  and  to 
John  Long  a  joynt  of  Mutton  weekly  during  his  Life,  as 
I  have  done.  In  witness  thereof  I  have  hereunto  sett  my 
hand  and  seal  this  22nd  day  of  March,  1703/4,  etc." 

One  very  curious  and  most  unusual  feature  in  the 
proving  of  this  will  was  that  the  original  was  handed 
over  to  James  Tillie,  the  nephew,  in  place  of  an  attested 
copy,  and  only  a  copy  retained  in  the  Consistory  Court. 

As  Sir  James  had  no  right  to  bear  arms,  his  nephew, 
James  Tillie,  obtained  a  grant  from  the  Heralds'  Col- 
lege, November  ist,  1733.  The  arms  given  him  were  as 
follows  :  Arg.,  a  cross  fieury  gules,  in  chief  three  eagles^ 
heads  couped,  sable ;  and  as  a  crest,  on  a  wreath  of  the 
colours,  a  demi-phoinix  rising  out  of  flames  ppr.  and 
charged  on  the  breast  with  a  cross  fleury  sa. 

The  memorandum  referred  to  by  Sir  James  in  his 
will,  containing  instructions  as  to  his  burial,  is  still 
extant,  and  it  is  by  no  means  as  extravagant  as  repre- 
sented by  Hals. 

Gilpin,  in  his  Observations  on  the  West  Parts  of 
Englafid,  1798,  gave  currency  to  the  story  as  amplified 
by  tradition,  and  thenceforth  it  was  generally  accepted 
and  obtained  currency. 

Gough,  in  his  Camden's  Britannia,  1789,  says  :  "In 
the    rocks   of  Whitsand    Bay,   Tilly,    Esq.,   who   died 


4o6 


CORNISH   CHARACTERS 


about  fifty  years  ago,  remarkable  for  the  freedom  of 
his  principles  and  life,  was  inclosed  by  his  own  order, 
dressed  in  his  clothes,  sitting,  his  face  to  the  door 
of  a  summer-house  at  Pentelly,  the  key  put  under  the 
door,  and  his  figure  in  wax,  in  the  same  dress  and 
attitude  in  the  room  below." 

Gough  makes  several  mistakes.  Pentillie  is  a  great 
many  miles  from  Whitsand  Bay,  and  he  was  placed 
not  among  rocks,  but  on  the  summit  of  a  hill  called 
Ararat.  The  figure  carved  in  the  attitude  in  which 
placed  to  rest  is  in  sandstone,  and  not  in  wax  ;  and 
finally  it  is  not  in  a  summer-house,  but  in  a  lofty  brick 
tower,  erected  after  his  death,  the  bill  for  the  erection 
of  which  is  still  in  existence. 

Notwithstanding  all  his  schemes  to  found  a  family, 
his  posterity  failed  in  the  male  line,  and  the  castle  and 
Tillie  lands  passed  as  follows  : — 

John  Tillie, 
labourer,  S.  Kevern, 


(2)  Elizab.  =(i)  Margaret  =  Sir  James  Tillie. 
da.  Sir  R.  Chi-  da.  of  Sir  b.  Nov.  16,  1645. 

verton     and  H,  Vane, 

w i d .    of    Sir 
John  Cory  ton. 


I 
da.  =Woolley. 


Wm.  Goodall 


Elizabeth, 
da.  Sir  John 
Coryton. 


r 

James  Tillie  Woolley= Esther 
als.  Tillie,  Sheriff  of 
Cornwall,  1734. 


John  Goodall = Margery  Major.        James  TilHe=Mary 


I 

Peter  Goodall  = 
d.  1756. 


John  Coryton  =  Mary  Jemima  Tillie. 


John  Tillie  Coryton. 
b.  1773;  d.  1843. 


SIR   JAMES   TILLIES   MONUMENT    AT    PENTILLIE 


SIR   JAMES   TILLIE,    KNT.  407 

There  was  an  illustrious  and  ancient  family  of  Tilly, 
or  Tylly,  at  Cannington,  in  Somersetshire,  deriving 
from  a  De  Tilly  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II,  and  the  parish 
of  West  Harptree  in  the  same  county  is  divided  into 
two  manors,  one  of  which  is  West  Harptree-Tilly. 
The  arms  of  this  Tilly  family  were  only  a  dragon  erect, 
sable,  and  as  such  appear  in  glass  in  the  windows  of 
Cannington  Church. 

That  Sir  James  Tillie  could  claim  no  descent  from 
this  family  is  evident  from  his  not  assuming  their  arms. 
Had  the  Heralds  been  able  to  trace  any  connection 
whatever,  they  would  have  given  to  the  nephew  a 
coat  resembling  the  Tilly  arms  of  Cannington  but 
not  identical. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  possession  of  a 
surname  of  a  noble  or  gentle  family  by  no  means  indi- 
cates that  the  bearer  had  a  drop  of  that  family's  blood 
in  his  veins  ;  for  it  was  quite  a  common  thing  when 
surnames  began  to  be  acquired  for  the  domestic  servants 
in  a  house  to  be  called  after  their  master,  or  that  they 
should  assume  their  patronymics,  much  as  in  High 
Life  Below  Stairs  the  menial  servants  assume  the 
titles  of  their  masters  as  well  as  their  names.  This 
practice  was  so  common  that  always  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  a  great  house,  that  has  lived  on  through  many 
centuries,  will  be  found  among  the  villagers  in  a  very 
humble  walk  of  life  persons  bearing  the  surname  of 
the  illustrious  family  in  the  castle,  the  hall,  or  the 
manor.  How  a  dependent  of  the  Tilly  family  of  Can- 
nington drifted  down  to  the  Lizard  is  not  easily  ex- 
plained ;  it  may  be  that  this  Tilly  was  descended  from 
one  of  the  regiments  that  Charles  I  sent  down  to  the 
Scilly  Isles,  and  which  was  left  there  and  forgotten. 


LIEUTENANT  JOHN    HAWKEY 

JOSEPH  HAWKEY,  of  Liskeard,  and  his  wife 
Amye,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Lyne,  had 
a  numerous  family.  John  was  the  eldest  son, 
born  at  Liskeard  in  1780;  the  other  sons  were 
William,  Joseph,  Richard,  and  Charles.  There  was  also 
a  daughter  Charlotte,  born  at  Liskeard  loth  May,  1799. 
Lieutenant  Joseph  Hawkey,  r.n.,  born  at  Liskeard  in 
1786,  was  killed  in  action  while  commanding  a  success- 
ful attack  on  a  Russian  flotilla  in  the  Gulf  of  Finland 
in  1809. 

John  also  entered  the  navy,  as  midshipman  in  the 
Minerva.  A  few  months  after  the  renewal  of  the  war 
in  1803  he  was  taken  prisoner  whilst  gallantly  defending 
that  ship,  when  she  was  unfortunately  run  by  the  pilot, 
during  a  dense  fog,  on  the  west  point  of  the  stone 
dyke  of  Cherbourg.  Hawkey  remained  in  captivity 
at  Verdun  for  eleven  years,  till  1814. 

A  commission  of  lieutenant  had  been  sent  out  to  him 
by  mistake  to  the  West  Indies,  which  being  dated 
previous  to  his  capture  was  not  cancelled,  but  forwarded 
to  him  in  France,  and  was  thus  the  means  in  some 
degree  of  alleviating  the  evils  of  captivity.  Whilst 
at  Verdun  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Lieutenant 
Tuckey,  R.N.,  a  person  like  himself  a  prisoner,  and 
like  him  of  fine  taste  and  considerable  talents. 

His  prospects  had  been  cruelly  clouded  by  his  long 
detention  in  captivity,  and  on  the  conclusion  of  peace 
he  at  once  joined  the  Cyrus,  sloop  of  war  ;  but  when 

408 


LIEUTENANT   JOHN    HAWKEY  409 

the  Government  proposed  to  send  out  an  expedition  to 
explore  the  Zaire  or  Congo,  and  appointed  Tuckey  in 
command,  Lieutenant  Hawkey  eagerly  accepted  the 
invitation  of  his  friend  to  join  him  and  act  as  second 
in  command. 

At  this  time  little  was  known  of  the  Congo  and  the 
Niger.  Hitherto  what  was  known  was  due  to  Arabian 
writers  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  to  what  leaked  out 
from  the  Portuguese  ;  but  these  latter,  who  carried  on 
an  extensive  slave  trade  thence,  did  their  utmost  to 
keep  their  knowledge  of  these  rivers  to  themselves. 
But  even  they  were  not  well  acquainted  with  the  rivers 
far  up  from  their  mouths.  Mungo  Park  was  preparing 
for  his  second  expedition  to  explore  the  Niger,  and  it 
was  even  supposed  that  the  Congo  or  Zaire  that  flows 
into  the  South  Atlantic  was  an  outlet  of  the  Niger,  and 
not  an  independent  river  ;  and  this  opinion  was  warmly 
expounded  by  Park  in  a  memoir  addressed  to  Lord 
Camden  previous  to  his  departure  from  England,  and 
he  added  that,  if  this  should  turn  out  to  be  a  fact,  ''  con- 
sidered in  a  commercial  point  of  view,  it  is  second  only 
to  the  discovery  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  ;  and,  in  a 
geographical  point  of  view,  it  is  certainly  the  greatest 
discovery  that  remains  to  be  made  in  this  world." 

On  March  19th,  18 16,  the  Congo,  accompanied  by  the 
Dorothy  transport,  sailed  on  a  voyage  of  exploration  to 
the  Zaire.  The  Congo  was  about  ninety  tons,  schooner 
rigged,  and  drew  five  feet  of  water.  She  was  fitted  up 
entirely  for  the  accommodation  of  officers  and  men, 
and  for  the  reception  of  the  objects  of  natural  history 
which  might  be  collected  on  her  progress  up  the  river. 
The  gentlemen  engaged  on  the  expedition,  in  the 
scientific  department,  were  :  Professor  Smith,  of  Chris- 
tiania,  botanist  and  geologist ;  Mr.  Tudor,  comparative 
anatomist  ;  Mr.  Cranch,  collector  of  objects  of  natural 


4IO 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


history  ;  and  a  gardener  to  gather  plants  and  seeds  for 
Kew  ;  also  Mr.  Galway,  a  gentleman  volunteer.  There 
were  two  negroes,  who  would  serve  as  interpreters, 
one  of  whom  came  from  eight  hundred  miles  up 
the  Zaire.  The  officers  were  :  Captain  Tuckey, 
Lieutenant  Hawkey,  Mr.  Fitzmaurice,  master  and  sur- 
veyor, Mr.  McKernow,  assistant  surgeon,  two  mas- 
ter's mates,  and  a  purser.  In  additon  to  the  Congo^  the 
transport  took  out  two  double  whale-boats,  so  fitted  as 
to  be  able  to  carry  eighteen  to  twenty  men,  with  three 
months'  provisions. 

Lieutenant  Hawkey  was  an  excellent  draughtsman  ; 
he  sketched  in  a  bold  and  artistic  manner,  and  to  a 
general  knowledge  of  natural  history  he  united  the 
talent  of  painting  the  minutest  sea  and  land  animals 
with  great  spirit  and  accuracy. 

Although  the  vessels  sailed  from  Deptford  on 
February  i6th,  they  were  detained  in  the  Channel  and 
at  Falmouth  by  westerly  gales  till  March  19th.  On 
April  9th  they  reached  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands, 
whence  he  wrote  home  to  his  sister  Charlotte  : — 

**  PoRTO  Praya,  S.  Jago,  August  iith,  1816. 

''My  Angel, — I  am  just  able  to  hold  my  pen  and 
tell  you  that  I  am  alive,  after  being  as  near  death  as 
ever  mortal  being  was.  The  day  before  yesterday  we 
arrived  here.  Captain  Tuckey  and  myself  went  to 
wait  on  the  governor,  the  commissary,  and  captain 
of  the  transport,  to  procure  refreshments.  We  were 
graciously  received — saluted  by  his  black  guards — took 
a  walk  in  the  country — returned,  intending  to  go 
on  board  to  dinner.  There  is  a  heavy  surf  on  the 
beach,  and  squalls  are  very  frequent  from  the  moun- 
tains ;  one  of  which,  when  we  were  about  a  cable's 
length  from  the  shore,  upset  our  boat.  I  intended 
swimming   composedly    on    shore,    but    something   or 


LIEUTENANT   JOHN    HAWKEY  411 

some  person  caught  my  leg,  and  I  could  not  by  any 
exertion  get  my  head  above  water.  It  instantly  struck 
me  that  some  one  who  could  not  swim  had  seized  me, 
hoping  to  save  himself;  and  I  swam  in  what  I  con- 
ceived to  be  the  direction  of  the  shore,  under  water. 
My  senses  I  preserved  as  fully  as  at  present.  O  Lord, 
methought,  what  pain  it  was  to  drown  !  What  dread- 
ful noise  of  water  in  my  ears  !  I  thought  my  last  hour 
was  come.  Still  I  struggled  violently,  but  finding  it 
impossible  to  retain  my  breath  longer,  I  took  off  my 
hat  and  held  it  above  the  water.  A  black  boy,  who 
had  swam  off  with  several  other,  got  hold  of  it,  and 
then  of  me.  From  that  moment  all  recollection  ceased 
until  I  found  myself  with  my  stomach  on  an  empty  cask 
on  the  beach,  surrounded  by  my  own  party  and  blacks. 
My  sufferings  were  very  acute  ;  the  absolute  pain  of 
dying — which  ceremony  I  completely  underwent — was 
nothing  in  comparison.  The  different  means  pre- 
scribed for  the  recovery  of  drowned  persons  were  used; 
and  as  soon  as  possible  I  was  conveyed  on  board. 
A  determination  of  blood  to  the  head  and  lungs  took 
place  ;  all  night  I  was  in  danger ;  but  it  is  now  going 
fast  off,  but  I  am  in  a  state  of  absolute  debility.  Cap- 
tain Tuckey  says  I  was  more  than  five  minutes  under 
water — a  longer  time  than  the  most  experienced  divers 
can  remain.  Note,  I  was  in  full  uniform— boots, 
sword — and  my  pockets  full  of  stones  and  shells  I  had 
picked  up  on  shore.  Captain  Tuckey  lost  his  sword  ; 
his  watch  and  mine  are  both  spoiled." 

Cape  Padrone,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Congo,  was 
reached  on  July  6th.  The  transport  was  left  a  little 
way  up,  and  the  party  of  exploration  pushed  on  up 
the  river.  The  mouth  of  the  Congo  was  found  to  be 
about  fifteen  miles  wide.  Far  inland  were  seen  naked 
hills  of  sand.     Professor  Smith  wrote  in  his  diary  : — 


412  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

''July  7th. — Early  this  morning  the  mafock,  or 
governor,  came  on  board  in  two  canoes,  with  his 
retinue.  At  first  his  pretensions  were  very  lofty.  He 
insisted  on  being  saluted  with  a  discharge  of  cannon, 
and  on  observing  us  going  to  breakfast  declared  that 
he  expected  to  be  placed  at  the  same  table  with  the 
captain,  and  endeavoured  to  make  his  words  sufficiently 
impressive  by  haughty  gesticulations.  Sitting  on  the 
quarter-deck  in  a  chair  covered  with  a  flag,  his  dress 
consisting  of  a  laced  velvet  cloak,  a  red  cap,  a  piece 
of  stuff  round  his  waist,  otherwise  naked,  with  an 
umbrella  over  his  head,  though  the  weather  was  cold 
and  cloudy,  he  represented  the  best  caricature  I  ever 
saw.  He  soon  became  more  moderate  on  being  in- 
formed that  the  vessels  were  not  belonging  to  slave 
merchants,  but  to  the  King  of  England,  and  that  our 
object  was  to  trade.  In  order  to  give  him  a  proof  of 
our  goodwill  towards  him,  a  gun  was  discharged  and 
a  merchant  flag  hoisted." 

A  good  many  negroes  after  this  came  on  board. 
They  were  nearly  all  nominally  Christians.  Among 
them  was  a  Catholic  priest,  who  had  been  ordained  at 
Loando.  He  had  been  baptized  two  years  before  his 
ordination  at  S.  Antonio. 

"The  barefooted  black  apostle,  however,  had  no 
fewer  than  five  wives.  A  few  crosses  on  the  necks  of 
the  negroes,  some  Portuguese  prayers,  and  a  few 
lessons  taught  by  heart,  are  the  only  fruits  that  re- 
main of  the  labours  (of  the  Portuguese  missionaries)  of 
three  hundred  years." 

Proceeding  up  the  river,  threading  a  tangle  of 
islands  and  sandbanks,  the  vessels  stood  off"  Embonna, 
where  they  came  across  an  American  slaver  flying 
Swedish  colours.  Here  there  had  been  several  Portu- 
gese slave-dealing  ships,  but  on  hearing  of  the  arrival 


LIEUTENANT   JOHN    HAWKEY  413 

in  the  river  of  the  EngHsh  vessels  during  the  night 
they  slipped  away. 

On  July  25th  they  came  to  the  Fetiche  Rock,  a  mass 
of  micaceous  granite  rising  perpendicularly  out  of 
the  river,  with  eddies  and  whirlpools  at  its  feet.  The 
surface  of  the  rock  is  covered  with  sculptured  figures, 
which  Lieutenant  Hawkey  drew,  and  which  he  managed 
to  interpret. 

On  July  26th  Captain  Tuckey  and  others  landed  at 
Lombee,  a  village  of  a  hundred  huts,  and  the  king's 
market,  and  here  they  went  to  visit  the  chenoo,  or 
king. 

**  Having  seated  myself,"  wrote  Tuckey,  "the 
chenoo  made  his  appearance  from  behind  a  mat-screen, 
his  costume  conveying  the  idea  of  Punch  in  a  puppet 
show,  being  composed  of  a  crimson  plush  jacket  with 
curious  gilt  buttons,  a  lower  garment  in  the  native 
style  in  red  velvet,  his  legs  muffled  in  pink  sarsenet, 
and  a  pair  of  red  morocco  half-boots.  On  his  head  an 
immense  high-crowned  hat  embroidered  with  gold, 
and  surmounted  by  a  kind  of  coronet  of  European 
artificial  flowers.  Having  seated  himself  on  the  right, 
a  master  of  the  ceremonies  with  a  long  staff  in  his 
hand  inquired  into  the  rank  of  the  gentlemen,  and 
seated  them  accordingly. 

"  All  being  seated,  I  explained  to  the  chenoo,  by  the 
interpreter,  the  motives  of  my  mission — stating  that 
'the  King  of  England  being  equally  good  as  he  was 
powerful,  and  having  conquered  all  his  enemies  and 
made  peace  in  all  Europe,  he  now  sent  his  ships  to  all 
parts  of  the  world  to  do  good  to  all  people,  and  to  see 
what  they  wanted  and  what  they  had  to  exchange  ;  that 
for  this  purpose  I  was  going  up  the  river,  and  that,  on 
my  return  to  England,  English  trading  vessels  would 
bring  them  the  objects  necessary  to  them,  and  teach 


414  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

them  to  build  houses  and  make  clothes.'  These  bene- 
volent intentions  were,  however,  far  beyond  their 
comprehension  ;  and  as  little  could  they  be  made  to 
understand  that  curiosity  was  also  one  of  the  motives 
of  our  visit,  or  that  a  ship  could  come  such  a  distance 
for  any  other  purpose  but  to  trade  or  fight ;  and  for  two 
hours  they  rung  the  changes  on  the  questions,  Are  you 
come  to  trade?  and  Are  you  come  to  make  war?  At 
last,  however,  they  appeared  to  be  convinced  that  I 
came  for  neither  purpose  ;  and  on  my  assuring  them 
that  though  I  did  not  trade  myself  I  should  not  meddle 
with  the  slave  traders  of  any  nation,  they  expressed 
their  satisfaction. 

''The  keg  of  spiced  rum  which  I  had  brought  as 
part  of  my  present  to  the  chenoo  was  now  produced, 
together  with  an  English  white  earthen  washhand  basin 
covered  with  dirt,  into  which  some  of  the  liquor  was 
poured  and  distributed  to  the  company,  the  king  say- 
ing he  drank  only  wine,  and  retiring  to  order  dinner. 
The  moment  he  disappeared,  the  company  began  to 
scramble  for  a  sup  of  the  rum ;  and  one  fellow,  drop- 
ping his  dirty  cap  into  the  basin,  as  if  by  accident, 
contrived  to  snatch  it  out  again  well  soaked,  and  sucked 
it  with  great  satisfaction." 

Here  Captain  Tuckey  learned  that  the  traders  carried 
off  on  an  average  two  thousand  slaves  every  year. 

Hence,  on  August  5th,  Captain  Tuckey,  Lieutenant 
Hawkey,  and  the  scientific  gentlemen  proceeded  up 
the  river  in  the  double  boat,  the  transport's  longboat, 
two  gigs,  and  a  punt.  In  addition  to  those  already 
mentioned  were  some  of  the  sailors  and  the  inter- 
preters. 

On  August  loth  the  expedition  reached  Noki,  where 
the  river  was  rapid  and  difficult,  running  between  high 
bluffs,  and   Professor  Smith  likened   it  to  one  of  the 


LIEUTENANT   JOHN    HAWKEY  415 

torrent  streams  of  Norway.  On  reaching  Caran  Yel- 
latu  progress  was  arrested  by  cataracts,  and  the  party 
was  forced  to  quit  the  boats  and  push  on  by  land. 
Here  one  of  the  interpreters  deserted,  carrying  away 
with  him  four  of  the  best  porters  who  had  been 
engaged  at  Embonna. 

"Every  man  I  have  conversed  with,"  says  Tuckey, 
"acknowledges  that  if  the  white  man  did  not  come  for 
slaves  the  practice  of  kidnapping  would  no  longer 
exist,  and  the  wars  which  nine  times  out  of  ten  result 
from  the  European  slave  trade  would  be  proportion- 
ately less  frequent.  The  people  at  large  most  assuredly 
desire  the  cessation  of  a  trade  in  which,  on  the  con- 
trary, all  the  great  men,  deriving  a  large  portion  of  their 
revenue  from  the  presents  it  produces,  as  well  as  the 
slave  merchants,  are  interested  in  its  continuance." 

At  Juga  the  river  again  widened,  and  this  was  made 
a  basis  for  excursions  by  land  up  the  river. 

On  the  loth  September  Captain  Tuckey  found  it 
impossible  to  proceed  further  ;  sickness  and  death  were 
making  terrible  ravages  among  the  party,  and  it 
became  absolutely  necessary  to  relinquish  the  enter- 
prise and  endeavour  to  make  their  way  back  to  the 
vessels.  On  the  following  day  Captain  Tuckey's 
journal  records  that  they  "had  a  terrible  march — worse 
to  us  than  the  retreat  from  Moscow." 

Of  this  return  journey  we  have  an  account  from 
Lieutenant  Hawkey's  diary.  When  Sir  John  Barrow 
published  an  account  of  the  expedition  from  the  jour- 
nals of  Captain  Tuckey  and  Professor  Smith  the  diary 
of  Hawkey  was  not  obtainable  ;  it  had  been  lost,  and 
was  not  recovered  for  some  years;  and  then,  when  given 
for  publication,  was  again  lost,  and  only  the  conclud- 
ing pages  were  to  be  found.  It  shall  be  given,  some- 
what curtailed. 


4i6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

"September  9th. — Our  Ultima  Thule.  Sketched 
by  the  setting  sun  the  appearance  of  the  river,  a  thou- 
sand ideas  rushing  into  my  mind :  the  singularity 
of  my  situation,  its  contrast  with  my  captivity,  and 
equally  so  with  my  wishes.  Here,  probably,  my 
travels  are  to  end  ;  but  Heaven  knows  for  what  I  am 
destined,  and  I  resign  myself.  Passed  a  sleepless 
night,  and  wandered  on  the  beach,  wishing,  but  in 
vain,  for  sleep.     Captain  Tuckey  ill  all  night. 

"September  10th. — A  fine  grey  morning.  Packing 
up  for  our  return — a  great  assemblage  of  natives,  one 
with  a  gay  red  cap.  Bought  six  fowls  for  an  umbrella. 
Dr.  Smith  sketched  our  last  view  of  the  mighty 
Zaire.  Set  out  and  soon  found  Dawson  very  sick  ; 
obliged  to  give  his  arms  and  knapsack  to  others,  and  to 
lead  him  and  give  him  wine  occasionally.  Halted  at 
Vonke,  where  I  got  into  a  scrape  by  touching  Amaza's 
fetiche,  for  which,  it  being  ruined,  he  wanted  a  fathom 
of  chintz,  which  I  gave  him.  It  is  forbidden  to  touch 
a  fetiche  or  to  carry  fowls  with  their  heads  downwards. 
Bought  a  goat  for  an  umbrella.  Bargaining  for  a 
canoe  for  the  sick  and  luggage  ;  procured  one,  and 
embarked  poor  Dawson.  Tuckey  ill ;  at  Masakka  had 
a  specimen  of  African  hospitality :  Tuckey,  fainting 
and  ill,  could  not  obtain  a  drop  of  palm  wine  until 
it  was  paid  for  exorbitantly.  Peter  gave  the  cap  from 
his  head,  and  Tuckey  his  handkerchief  and  the  last 
beads.  To  his  being  faint  they  paid  not  the  least 
regard.  About  two  miles  from  Sirndia  all  our  guides 
abandoned  us.  However,  we  found  our  way,  and  on 
our  arrival  the  tent  and  luggage,  just  landed. 

"September  nth. — Hazy,  cloudy;  feel  a  little  ill. 
Canoes  assembling  ;  bargained  for  two  for  six  fathoms 
and  four  handkerchiefs.  A  world  of  trouble  with  them 
— three  strokes  of  the  paddle  and  stop  ;  wanted  to  land 


LIEUTENANT   JOHN    HAWKEY  417 

us  above  the  rapid  ;  obliged  to  threaten  to  put  them 
to  death.  At  last  got  them  to  a  rapid  that  stopped  us, 
where  we  landed  and  again  grumbled  on.  One  fellow 
attempted  to  snatch  the  piece  from  Captain  Tuckey's 
hand.  Met  here  with  some  of  our  old  friends,  and 
bargained  with  the  man  whose  canoe  was  stove  on  the 
7th  to  take  us  to  Juga.  The  bearers  are  to  have  two 
fathoms  each,  and  himself  a  dress.  Encamped  at 
Bemba  Ganga.     Broached  our  last  bottle  of  wine. 

'*  September  12th. — A  grey  morning.  Bought  four 
fowls  for  two  empty  bottles,  and  four  more  for  some 
beads.  Embarked  in  a  canoe  and  set  off.  About  ten 
arrived  at  Ganga  and  had  to  wait  for  a  canoe  ;  atmo- 
sphere much  changed.  Hitherto  we  had  found  the 
blacks  honest  enough,  but  here  they  gave  us  specimens 
of  being  as  great  thieves  as  they  were  cowards.  The 
canoe  in  which  the  sick  men  came  down  was  robbed 
of  some  check  and  baft  (coarse  cloth).  One  fellow 
attempted  to  steal  a  carbine.  Ben  (the  black  inter- 
preter) lost  his  greatcoat,  which  the  fellow  he  trusted 
with  it  ran  away  with,  and  our  barometer  was  stolen  in 
the  night.  Dr.  Smith  was  taken  ill  here.  We  en- 
camped in  the  valley  of  Demba,  where  we  were  assailed 
by  ants  in  myriads,  and  got  no  sleep.  After  dusk  we 
were  informed  that  the  men  whom  we  had  hired  at 
Bemba  as  canoe  men  had  run  away. 

**  September  13th. — From  7  a.m.  until  6  p.m.  no 
refreshments  excepting  earth-nuts,  palm-wine,  and 
water.  However,  we  persevered,  and  at  dusk  reached 
Juga,  where  we  found  Butler  sick,  and  had  the  misery 
of  being  told  that  poor  Tudor  and  Cranch  were  no 
more,  Galway  despaired  of,  and  many  of  the  crew  sick. 
Melancholy  enough,  God  knows,  but  hold  on.  Mansa, 
the  slave,  has  deserted  with  poor  Galway's  knapsack. 

"September  14th. — Mizzling  rain;  melancholy  morn- 

2   E 


4i8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ing.  The  captain  and  Dr.  Smith  sick.  Packing  up 
for  ship.  Hodder  sets  out  with  ten  men  and  an  ad- 
vanced guard.  Dr.  Smith  worse  ;  decide  on  removing 
him  to-day  ;  difficulty  in  getting  bearers ;  prepared 
hammocks  for  the  sick.  At  noon  both  the  captain  and 
Dr.  Smith  better  ;  Dawson  rather  worse  ;  get  Butler 
into  a  house.  Corporal  Middleton  arrives  with  the  sad 
news  of  Galway's  death,  that  of  poor  Stirling  and 
Berry,  and  a  long  list  of  sick.  Here  I  am  in  the  tent. 
Poor  Tuckey  ill,  asleep,  or  perhaps  feigning  it  to  avoid 
conversation.  Dr.  Smith  groaning  under  a  rheumatic 
fever,  and  his  trusty  David  Lockhart  attending  him. 
My  ideas  are  wandering  round  the  world,  and  the  only 
consolation  is  that  perhaps  it  may  be  the  means  of  my 
seeing  my  dear  European  friends  sooner  than  I  had 
expected.  Five  only  of  the  Congo's  are  capable  of  duty, 
except  the  warrant  officers.  Saturday  night.  God 
bless  you  all,  my  dear,  dear  friends  ! 

"September  15th. — Broke  up  at  Juga,  and  such  a 
scene  I  never  before  witnessed,  and  hope  never  to  wit- 
ness again.  As  soon  as  Tuckey  was  gone,  the  natives 
rushed  in  upon  us  like  so  many  furies,  each  taking  what 
he  could  get  hold  of;  the  things  we  were  obliged  to 
abandon.  A  part  of  our  guides  and  bearers  ran  away 
with  the  things  they  were  to  carry,  and  poor  Butler  was 
obliged  to  come  away  with  only  two  bearers,  who 
tottered  under  him,  and  who  were  mocked  by  their 
compassionate  countrymen.  I  left  him  near  the  ravine 
of  Bonde,  and  passed  on  to  Dawson,  who  was  coming 
on  pretty  well,  as  he  had  four  bearers  and  was  not  very 
heavy.  Not  far  from  Vouchin-semnis  we  were  assailed 
with  horrid  shrieks  and  cries,  and  soon  saw  a  dozen 
women,  or  rather  furies,  holding  their  idols  towards  us, 
rolling  their  eyes,  foaming  at  the  mouth,  and  making 
the    most   violent   contortions.     They   had   lost    some 


LIEUTENANT   JOHN    HAWKEY  419 

manioc,  and  were  exorcising  the  thieves.  I  believe  the 
gangam  (priest)  had  accused  us  of  the  robbery.  We 
continued  our  march,  rather  a  forced  one,  to  Noki. 
Far  different  was  the  night,  and  far  different  our  feelings, 
on  the  23rd  of  last  month  !  I  was  colder  than  charity, 
and  it  rained  very  hard  for  more  than  two  hours. 

'•  September  i6th. — Started  from  Juga.  Captain  and 
party  on  foot,  and  Dr.  Smith  in  a  hammock.  Dr. 
Smith  very  weak  ;  obliged  to  take  him  out  of  his  ham- 
mock, and  William  Burton,  a  marine,  carried  him  on 
his  back,  up  almost  precipices,  to  Banza,  where  we  had 
great  difficulty  in  getting  a  little  water,  which  was 
only  obtained  by  the  double  influence  of  a  threat  to 
shoot  them  and  a  present  of  some  powder.  Arrived  at 
the  beach,  where  we  found  all  in  confusion.  No 
canoes  to  be  had,  in  consequence  of  a  taboo  from  the 
King  of  Vinni,  who  had  not  received  his  dues  from 
Sanquila,  who  says,  on  his  side,  it  is  in  consequence  of 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  Coiigo  having  threatened 
to  put  some  one  in  irons.  Seized  the  man  who  appeared 
to  be  the  chief  cause  of  the  opposition,  and  at  the  same 
time  fired  at,  brought  to,  and  seized  five  fishing-canoes, 
and  shortly  after  obtained  two  larger  from  a  creek, 
when  we  liberated  three  of  the  fishermen's  canoes  and 
the  head-man. 

''September  17th. — Preparing  for  embarkation.  Find- 
ing no  paddlers  come,  pressed  two  men  and  set  out, 
crossing  over  to  the  south  shore  to  avoid  the  whirlpools. 
When  we  left  men  were  assembling  fast  on  the  hills, 
and  told  us  we  had  killed  a  man  last  night.  Beached 
the  canoes  and  ate  some  goat's  flesh.  So  returned  on 
board  and  reached  the  Congo.  Found  our  vessel  in  a 
horrid  state  of  confusion  and  filth  ;  stuffed  with  parrots, 
monkeys,  puppies,  pigeons,  etc.  The  carpenter  cutting 
up  the  last  plank  to  make  coffins.     The  deck  lumbered 


420  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

as  when  we  left  her,  and  not  a  wind-sail  up  !  No  stock 
on  board  ;  the  sick  in  double  boats  and  tents  pitched 
on  shore.  My  cabin  filthy  as  a  hog-stye.  Passed  a 
sleepless  night.  Dr.  Smith  very  unwell,  and  Captain 
Tuckey  very  little  better. 

"September  i8th. — A  little  after  daylight,  Captain 
Tuckey,  Dr.  Smith,  and  myself  left  the  Congo.  Passed 
M'Bima.  The  river  is  very  much  risen  ;  eagles  hover- 
ing over  us  all  the  way  down.  Arrived  on  board  the 
Dorothy  at  3  p.m.  Got  Dr.  Smith  to  bed  ;  refreshed 
ourselves,  and  thought  the  air  here  quite  reviving,  and 
a  clean  ship  the  greatest  of  luxuries.  All  on  board  the 
Dorothy  had  been  well,  except  the  carpenter,  who  was 
convalescent,  and  a  boy  who  had  been  up  in  the  long- 
boat, and  was  in  the  same  state. 

''  September  19th. — Sloop's  boat  arrived  with  the 
sick,  and  Johnson  dead.  Went  on  shore  with  Captain 
Gunther  and  some  of  the  transport's  people,  and  buried 
him — so  putrid  that  I  was  obliged  to  bury  him  in  his 
cot,  with  all  his  bedding. 

"  September  20th. — Sick  improving  generally  ;  trans- 
port getting  ready  for  sea.  Congo  not  in  sight.  Sent 
skiff  to  Congo.  At  6  p.m.  Garth  dies.  Skiff  returns  ; 
has  left  Congo  near  Augsberg  Island.  Parrots  prevent 
all  possibility  of  sleeping  to  the  sick. 

"September  21st. — Hazy  morning.  Congo  not  in 
sight  at  nine.  An  order  for  all  parrots  to  be  before  the 
fore-hatchway.  Buried  Garth.  Durnford  and  Burton 
attacked  with  fever  ;  Lockhart  unwell,  and  Ben.  Two 
of  transport's  people  ill.  Jefferies,  fever  ;  Ben  wishes 
to  remain  at  M'Bima.  At  6  p.m.  Congo  and  schooner 
anchored  here.     Dr.  Smith  appears  to  be  in  a  stupor. 

"  September  22nd. — Close  morning.  Getting  stores, 
etc.,  from  Congo ;  cleaning  her  decks  ;  preparing  to  get 
her  water-tanks  filled.      Dr.   Smith  still  in  a  stupor. 


LIEUTENANT   JOHN    HAWKEY  421 

Sick  generally  better,  except  the  captain  and  Parker. 
Weighed  with  Dorothy  and  sloop  ;  beat  down  with  sea- 
breeze.  Dr.  Smith,  poor  fellow,  dies,  quite  worn  out ; 
in  some  measure  from  his  own  imprudent  treatment  of 
himself,  constantly  refusing  to  follow  the  doctor's 
advice  or  to  take  any  medicine  ;  cold  water  was  his 
only  specific.  He  died  without  a  groan.  Mild,  affable, 
and  learned,  it  was  his  greatest  pleasure  to  communi- 
cate information,  and  to  receive  it.  He  had  conciliated 
the  affections  of  all  his  fellow-passengers,  and  even  of 
all  the  crews  of  both  vessels.  Anchored  at  dark,  sloop 
not  in  sight.     Hoisted  a  light,  to  be  kept  up  all  night. 

'*  September  23rd. — At  night  buried  the  mortal 
remains  of  Dr.  Smith,  as  silently  as  possible.  No 
sloop  in  sight ;  very  uneasy  on  account  of  the  sick. 
Hot  weather  ;  sprinkled  with  vinegar  ;  Tuckey  much 
better.  Sloop  arrives  ;  reason  of  not  joining  before, 
does  not  beat  well. 

"  September  24th. — Cloudy  morning  ;  small  rain. 
Dorothy  sets  up  her  rigging.  Set  sail  on  Dorothy^  but 
she  could  not  stem  the  current,  which  is  very  strong. 
The  corporal,  Middleton,  is  the  only  man  out  of  the 
sick  list. 

"September  25th. — Cloudy  morning;  land  breeze 
until  noon.  Two  bottles  of  wine  were  stolen  from  the 
sick  last  night.  Congo  in  sight,  and  schooner,  the 
latter  coming  up  the  river  ;  anchored  here.  Removed 
all  the  sick  from  the  sloop  to  the  Dorothy. 

*'  September  26th. — Grey  morning.  Paid  our  blacks, 
and  as  soon  as  we  weighed  turned  them  adrift  in  the 
large  canoe.  Weighed  and  worked  round  Sharks' 
Point ;  felt  quite  happy  when  to  the  westward  of  it. 
On  the  5th  July  we  entered  the  Congo,  and  since  then 
thirteen  of  our  party  have  died  and  one  has  been 
drowned.     Sick  generally  better  ;  seventeen  on  the  list. 


422  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Tuckey  hailed  for  assistance  previous  to  our  weighing  ; 
talks  of  giving  up  charge." 

On  September  30th  Lieutenant  Hawkey  enters  the 
death  of  Lethbridge  and  of  Eyre. 

On  October  ist  enters  :  *'  Taken  very  unwell  myself — 
universal  debility  and  slight  headache. 

**  October  2nd. — Cloudy.  Standing  to  the  west  all 
day.     Very  unwell. 

*'  October  3rd. — Cloudy,  with  swell.  Still  very 
unwell.     Swallow  caught." 

This  is  the  last  entry  in  the  diary.  On  the  day 
following  Captain  Tuckey  died  ;  and  on  October  6th 
Lieutenant  Hawkey's  own  name  was  added  to  the  fatal 
list  of  those  who  perished  in  this  most  disastrous  expe- 
dition. In  all  eighteen  died  in  the  short  space  of  less 
than  three  months  during  which  they  remained  in  the 
river,  or  within  a  few  days  after  leaving  it.  Fourteen 
of  these  were  of  the  party  that  had  set  out  on  the  land 
journey  above  Juga  ;  the  other  four  were  attacked  on 
board  the  Congo ;  two  had  died  on  the  passage  out,  and 
the  sergeant  of  marines  in  the  hospital  at  Bahia, 
making  the  total  of  deaths  amount  to  twenty-one. 

This  great  mortality  is  the  more  extraordinary,  as  it 
appears  from  Captain  Tuckey's  journal  that  nothing 
could  have  been  finer  than  the  climate  :  the  atmosphere 
was  remarkably  dry,  and  scarcely  a  shower  fell  during 
the  whole  journey,  and  the  sun  for  three  or  four  days 
did  not  shine  sufficiently  to  allow  of  an  observation 
being  taken. 

It  appears  from  the  report  of  the  assistant  surgeon 
that  the  greater  number  were  carried  off  by  a  violent 
intermittent  fever;  some  of  them  appeared,  however,  to 
have  had  no  other  ailment  than  that  caused  by  extreme 
exhaustion  caused  by  the  land  journey.  Some  of  the 
crew  of  the  Conp^o  died  of  the  fever  who  never  went 


LIEUTENANT   JOHN    HAWKEY  423 

above  the  cataracts;  "but  then,"  as  the  surgeon 
observes,  "they  were  permitted  to  go  on  shore  at 
liberty,  where  the  day  was  passed  in  running  about  the 
country,  and  during  the  night  lying  in  huts  or  in  the 
open  air." 

The  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  January,  181 7,  gives 
a  brief  summary  of  the  achievements  of  the  expedi- 
tion. "  They  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Congo  about 
the  3rd  July,  and  leaving  the  transport,  which  only 
accompanied  them  an  inconsiderable  distance,  they 
proceeded  in  the  sloop,  which  was  purposely  built  to 
draw  little  water,  up  the  river  to  the  extent  of  120 
miles,  when  her  progress,  and  even  that  of  the  boats, 
was  stopped  by  rapids.  Determined  still  to  prosecute 
the  undertaking,  the  men  landed,  and  it  was  not  till 
they  had  marched  150  miles  over  a  barren,  moun- 
tainous country,  and  after  experiencing  the  greatest 
privations  from  want  of  water,  and  being  entirely  ex- 
hausted by  fatigue,  that  they  gave  up  the  attempt. 
Hope  stayed  them  up  till  they  reached  the  vessel,  but 
they  were  so  worn  out  that  twenty-five  out  of  the  fifty- 
five  died  twenty-four  hours  after  their  return,  compre- 
hending all  the  scientific  part  of  those  who  started,  and 
only  eight  were  left  on  board  in  a  state  fit  to  navigate 
the  vessel." 

That  there  is  some  inaccuracy  in  this  account  will  be 
seen  from  what  has  preceded  it. 

The  authority  for  the  story  of  this  unfortunate  ex- 
pedition is  Sir  John  Barrow's  edition  of  the  narrative 
of  the  expedition,  with  the  diary  of  Captain  Tuckey, 
published  in  1819;  and  Miss  Charlotte  Hawkey's 
Neota,  privately  printed  in  1871. 


DR.    DANIEL    LOMBARD 

LANTEGLOS  with  Camelford  is  one  of  the 
richest  livings  in  Cornwall.  Lanteglos  itself 
is  nearly  two  miles  from  Camelford,  and  in 
^  this  latter  place  there  is  neither  a  church  nor 
a  licensed  chapel.  A  few  scattered  farms  are  about 
Lanteglos  ;  and  in  Camelford,  which  is  a  market  town, 
there  is  a  population  of  1370,  left  to  be  ministered  to 
in  holy  things  by  dissenting  ministers  of  many  sects. 

The  rectory  of  Lanteglos  lies  in  a  valley,  amidst 
luxuriant  vegetation,  and  is  altogether  a  very  snug 
spot  indeed. 

In  February,  17 18,  the  Rev.  Daniel  Lombard  was 
inducted  into  this  living  on  the  presentation  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales.  He  was  a  Frenchman,  the  son  of  a 
Huguenot  pastor,  who  had  fled  from  his  native  land 
on  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  Daniel 
had  been  placed  in  Merchant  Taylors'  School,  and 
thence  had  passed  to  S,  John's  College,  Oxford,  where 
he  had  taken  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  he 
became  chaplain  to  the  Princess  of  Wales,  and  in 
1 7 14  published  a  sermon  that  he  had  preached  before 
the  Princess  Sophia  at  Hanover.  He  spent  a  good 
deal  of  time  in  Germany,  and  there  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Mr.  Gregor,  of  Trewarthenick,  with  whom  in 
after  life  he  maintained  a  lengthy  correspondence,  still 
extant. 

From  all  accounts  Dr.  Lombard  was  learned  on 
certain  lines,  but  he  was  totally  unacquainted  with  the 

424 


DR.    DANIEL   LOMBARD  425 

ways  of  the  world,  utterly  unsuited  to  be  a  parish 
priest,  and  lost  completely  in  the  isolation  of  Lanteglos, 
far  from  society  in  which  he  could  shine  ;  and  speaking 
English  badly  with  a  foreign  accent. 

After  his  institution  by  the  Bishop  of  Exeter  to  the 
livings  of  Lanteglos  juxta  Camelford  and  that  of 
Advent,  Dr.  Lombard  started  off  to  reach  his  cure, 
mounted  on  one  horse,  and  his  servant  on  another, 
driving  a  third  laden  with  such  articles  as  appeared  to 
him  to  be  indispensable  in  a  country  where  he  supposed 
that  nothing  was  procurable. 

He  rode  in  this  manner  along  the  highway  past 
Launceston,  inquiring  everywhere,  "  Vere  ish  Land- 
eglo  juxta  Camelvore  ? "  No  one  had  heard  of  the 
place  ;  after  some  consideration  the  rustics  pointed  due 
west.  He  must  go  on  one  or  two  days'  journey  more. 
He  thus  travelled  through  Camelford,  still  inquiring 
"  Mais  ou  done  est  Landeglo  juxta  Camelvore  ?  " 

"  I  know  what  he  means,"  said  some  of  those  ques- 
tioned ;   "the  gentleman  is  seeking  the  Land's  End." 

And  so  he  travelled  on  and  ever  on  till  he  reached  the 
Land's  End,  and  only  then  discovered  that  he  had 
passed  through  his  cure  without  knowing  it. 

When  at  last  he  reached  Lanteglos  rectory,  the  woman 
who  acted  as  housekeeper  showed  him  with  much  pride 
a  hen  surrounded  by  a  large  brood  of  chickens. 
*' Deare  me!"  exclaimed  the  Doctor.  " 'Ow  can  von 
liddle  moder  afford  to  give  milk  from  her  breast  to  soche 
a  large  familie?  " 

Seeing  sheep  with  red  ruddle  on  their  fleeces,  "  Pore 
things  !"  said  he.  " 'Ow 'ot  dey  do  seem  to  be  !  Dey  be 
red  'ot ! " 

He  collected  a  tolerable  library  of  books,  and 
occupied  himself  with  writing  one  work  in  French,  a 
Dissertation  on  the  Utility  of  History,  introductory  to 


426  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

strictures  on  certain  histories  that  had  been  published 
by  De  Mezeray  and  the  Pere  Daniel.  But  he  also  wrote 
in  English  A  Succinct  History  of  Ancient  and  Modern 
Persecutions,  together  with  a  short  essay  on  Assassina- 
tions and  Civil  Wars,  1 747. 

He  died  at  Camelford,  December  14,   1746,  and  left 
his  library  for  the  use  of  his  successor. 


i 


THE  DREAM  OF  MR.  WILLIAMS 

JOHN  WILLIAMS,  of  Scorrier,  was  the  son  of 
Michael  Williams,  of  Gwennap,  and  was  born 
23rd  September,  1753.  He  was  the  most  exten- 
sive mining  adventurer  in  Cornwall. 
On  May  11,  181 2,  Mr.  Perceval,  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer,  was  shot  in  the  evening,  just  as  he  entered 
the  lobby  of  the  House  of  Commons,  by  a  man  called 
Bellingham,  who  had  concealed  himself  behind  a  door. 
On  that  same  night,  Mr.  Williams,  of  Scorrier,  had 
three  remarkable  dreams,  in  each  of  which  he  saw  the 
whole  transaction  as  distinctly  as  if  he  had  been  present 
there  in  person. 

His  attested  statement,  relative  to  these  dreams,  was 
drawn  up  and  signed  by  him  in  the  presence  of  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Fisher  and  Mr.  Chas.  Prideaux  Brune. 
This  account,  the  original  MS.  signed  by  Mr. 
Williams,  is  preserved  at  Prideaux  Place,  Padstow. 
A  very  minute  account  of  it  found  its  way  into  the 
Times  of  the  28th  August,  1828  ;  another  was  furnished 
to  Dr.  Abercrombie  derived  from  Mr.  Williams  him- 
self, who  detailed  his  experiences  to  a  medical  friend 
of  the  doctor,  and  this  latter  published  this  in  his 
Inquiries  Concerning  the  Intellectual  Power.  This  was 
republished  by  Dr.  Clement  Carlyon  in  Early  Years 
and  Late  Reflections^  1836-41,  together  with  another 
account  by  Mr.  Hill,  a  barrister,  grandson  of  Mr.  John 
Williams,  and  which  he  had  taken  down  from  his 
grandfather's  lips.     All  these  accounts  are  practically 

427 


428  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

identical.  According  to  Dr.  Abercrombie :  "Mr. 
Williams  dreamt  that  he  was  in  the  lobby  of  the  House 
of  Commons  and  saw  a  small  man  enter,  dressed  in  a 
blue  coat  and  white  waistcoat.  Immediately  after  he 
saw  a  man  dressed  in  a  brown  coat  with  yellow  basket 
buttons  draw  a  pistol  from  under  his  coat  and  discharge 
it  at  the  former,  who  instantly  fell,  the  blood  issuing 
from  a  wound  a  little  below  the  left  breast."  According 
to  Mr.  Hill's  account,  "  he  heard  the  report  of  the  pistol, 
saw  the  blood  fly  out  and  stain  the  waistcoat,  and  saw 
the  colour  of  the  face  change."  Dr.  Abercrombie's 
authority  goes  on  to  state:  "  He  saw  the  murderer  seized 
by  some  gentlemen  who  were  present,  and  observed  his 
countenance,  and  in  asking  who  the  gentleman  was 
who  had  been  shot,  he  was  told  it  was  the  Chancellor. 
He  then  awoke,  and  mentioned  the  dream  to  his  wife, 
who  made  light  of  it."  This  wife  was  Catherine, 
daughter  of  Martin  Harvey,  of  Killefreth,  in  Kenwyn, 
born  in  1757. 

We  will  now  take  the  rest  of  the  narrative  from  the 
account  in  the  Times:  "Mrs.  Williams  very  naturally 
told  him  it  was  only  a  dream,  and  recommended  him 
to  be  composed,  and  go  to  sleep  as  soon  as  he  could. 
He  did  so,  and  shortly  after  woke  her  again,  and  said 
that  he  had  the  second  time  had  the  same  dream  ; 
whereupon  she  observed  he  had  been  so  much  agitated 
by  his  former  dream  that  she  supposed  it  had  dwelt  on 
his  mind,  and  begged  him  to  try  to  compose  himself  and 
go  to  sleep,  which  he  did.  A  third  time  the  vision  was 
repeated,  on  which,  notwithstanding  her  entreaties  that 
he  would  be  quiet  and  endeavour  to  forget  it,  he  arose, 
it  being  then  between  one  and  two  o'clock,  and  dressed 
himself. 

"At  breakfast  the  dreams  were  the  sole  subject  of 
conversation,  and  in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Williams  went 


THE    DREAM    OF    MR.    WILLIAMS       429 

to  Falmouth,  where  he  related  the  particulars  of  them 
to  all  of  his  acquaintance  that  he  met.  On  the  follow- 
ing day,  Mr.  Tucker,  of  Trematon  Castle,  accompanied 
by  his  wife,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Williams,  went  to  Scor- 
rier  House  about  dusk. 

**  Immediately  after  the  first  salutations  on  their 
entering  the  parlour,  where  were  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss 
Williams,  Mr.  Williams  began  to  relate  to  Mr.  Tucker 
the  circumstances  of  his  dream  ;  and  Mrs.  Williams 
observed  to  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Tucker,  laughingly, 
that  her  father  could  not  even  suffer  Mr.  Tucker  to  be 
seated  before  he  told  him  of  his  nocturnal  visitation, 
on  the  statement  of  which  he  observed  that  it  would  do 
very  well  for  a  dream  to  have  the  (Lord)  Chancellor  in 
the  lobby  of  the  House  of  Commons,  but  he  could  not 
be  found  there  in  reality,  and  Mr.  Tucker  then  asked 
what  sort  of  a  man  he  appeared  to  be,  when  Mr. 
Williams  minutely  described  him,  to  which  Mr.  Tucker 
replied :  '  Your  description  is  not  that  of  the  Lord 
Chancellor,  but  it  is  certainly  that  of  Mr.  Perceval,  the 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer ;  and  although  he  has 
been  to  me  the  greatest  enemy  I  ever  met  in  my  life, 
for  a  supposed  cause  which  had  no  foundation  or  truth 
(or  words  to  that  effect),  I  should  be  exceedingly  sorry 
indeed  to  hear  of  his  being  assassinated,  or  of  injury 
of  the  kind  happening  to  him.' 

"Mr.  Tucker  then  inquired  of  Mr.  Williams  if  he 
had  ever  seen  Mr.  Perceval,  and  was  told  that  he  had 
never  seen  him,  nor  had  ever  even  written  to  him 
either  on  public  or  private  business  ;  in  short,  that 
he  never  had  anything  to  do  with  him,  nor  had  he 
ever  been  in  the  lobby  of  the  House  of  Commons 
in  his  life. 

''Whilst  Mr.  Williams  and  Mr.  Tucker  were  still 
standing   they  heard   a   horse   gallop   to   the   door  of 


430  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

the  house,  and  immediately  after  Mr.  Michael  Williams, 
of  Trevince  (son  of  Mr.  Williams,  of  Scorrier)  entered 
the  room,  and  said  that  he  had  galloped  out  of  Truro 
(from  which  Scorrier  is  distant  seven  miles),  having 
seen  a  gentleman  there  who  had  come  by  that  evening's 
mail  from  London,  who  said  that  he  had  been  in  the 
lobby  of  the  House  of  Commons  on  the  evening  of  the 
nth,  when  a  man  called  Bellingham  had  shot  Mr. 
Perceval,  and  that,  as  it  might  occasion  some  great 
ministerial  changes,  and  might  affect  Mr.  Tucker's 
political  friends,  he  had  come  as  fast  as  he  could  to 
make  him  acquainted  with  it,  having  heard  at  Truro 
that  he  had  passed  through  that  place  on  his  way  to 
Scorrier.  After  the  astonishment  which  this  intelli- 
gence created  had  a  little  subsided,  Mr.  Williams 
described  most  particularly  the  appearance  and  dress  of 
the  man  that  he  saw  in  his  dream  fire  the  pistol,  as  he 
had  before  done  of  Mr.  Perceval. 

''About  six  weeks  after,  Mr.  Williams,  having 
business  in  town,  went,  accompanied  by  a  friend,  to 
the  House  of  Commons,  where,  as  has  been  already 
observed,  he  had  never  before  been.  Immediately 
that  he  came  to  the  steps  at  the  entrance  to  the  lobby, 
he  said  :  '  This  place  is  as  distinctly  within  my  recollec- 
tion in  my  dream  as  any  in  my  house,'  and  he  made  the 
same  observation  when  he  entered  the  lobby.  He 
there  pointed  out  the  exact  spot  where  Bellingham 
stood  when  he  fired,  and  which  Mr.  Perceval  had 
reached  when  he  was  struck  by  the  ball,  and  when  and 
how  he  fell.  The  dress,  both  of  Mr.  Perceval  and 
Bellingham,  agreed  with  the  description  given  by  Mr. 
Williams,  even  to  the  most  minute  particulars." 

Such  is  this  well-authenticated  story.  It  is  worth 
notice  that  Mr.  Williams  saw  the  whole  affair  in  dream 
thrice    repeated   long   after   the    real  event   had   taken 


THE    DREAM    OF    MR.    WILLIAMS      431 

place,  and  not  by  any  means  at  the  moment  of  the 
assassination.  Some  dreams  that  are  well  authenticated 
may  have  led  to  the  conviction  of  murderers.  But  this 
did  not ;  it  was  wholly  useless;  yet  it  is  impossible  to 
deny  that  it  really  occurred. 


SIR    ROBERT    TRESILIAN 

SIR  ROBERT  TRESILIAN,  of  Tresilian,  in 
the  parish  of  Newlyn,  and  by  virtue  of  mar- 
riage with  the  heiress  of  Haweis  also  lord  of 
Tremoderet  in  Duloe,  was  Lord  Chief 
Justice  of  England  and  adviser  to  King  Richard  II  ; 
he  accordingly  drew  upon  himself  the  animosity  of 
the  King's  uncle,  Thomas  of  Woodstock,  Duke  of 
Gloucester.  But  he  had  also  drawn  upon  his  head  the 
hatred  of  the  commonalty  by  his  "bloody  circuit" 
after  the  insurrection  of  Wat  Tyler,  Jack  Straw,  and 
John  Ball. 

When  Sir  Robert  Knollys  had  brought  together  a 
large  force  against  the  insurgents,  the  young  King  had 
forbidden  him  to  slaughter  them  en  masse,  as  he 
proposed,  '*  For,"  said  he,  "  I  will  have  their  blood  in 
another  way."  And  he  had  their  blood  by  sending 
Chief  Justice  Tresilian  among  them,  and,  according  to 
Holinshed,  the  number  of  executions  amounted  to 
1500.  At  first  they  were  beheaded  ;  afterwards  they 
were  hanged  and  left  on  the  gibbet  to  excite  terror  ;  but 
their  friends  cut  down  the  bodies  and  carried  them  off; 
whereupon  the  King  ordered  that  they  should  be 
hanged  in  strong  iron  chains  ;  and  this  was  the  first 
instance  of  this  barbarous  and  disgusting  practice  in 
England. 

The  King  had  promised  the  insurgent  peasantry  that 
serfage  should  be  abolished,  that  liberty  should  be 
accorded  to  all  to  buy  and  sell   in  the  markets,  and 

432 


SIR    ROBERT   TRESILIAN  433 

that  land  should  be  let  at  fourpence  an  acre,  that  a 
general  amnesty  should  be  accorded.  To  all  these  he 
had  acceded  with  charters  signed  and  sealed  ;  but  so 
soon  as  the  disturbances  were  over  he  repudiated  his 
undertakings,  and  we  cannot  doubt  that  he  did  so  at 
the  advice  of  Tresilian,  who  pronounced  them  illegal. 

Richard  did,  indeed,  in  the  next  Parliament,  urge  the 
abolition  of  villainage,  but  the  proposal  was  coldly 
received,  not  pressed,  and  rejected.  Moreover,  on  the 
occasion  of  his  marriage  with  Anne  of  Bohemia,  which 
took  place  soon  after,  a  general  amnesty  was  pro- 
claimed. 

The  people  were,  however,  disaffected.  The  imposi- 
tion of  a  poll  tax  levied  on  rich  and  poor  at  the  same 
sum  on  all  over  fifteen,  and  the  scandalous  manner  in 
which  it  had  been  collected,  had  given  general  dis- 
satisfaction, and  it  was,  in  fact,  this  which  had  roused 
Wat  Tyler  to  march  on  London  to  obtain  redress. 

The  King  had  surrounded  himself  with  favourites, 
and  his  uncles  were  excluded  from  his  council. 
The  country  was  divided  between  the  party  of  the 
King  and  that  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester.  There  is 
not  the  least  reason  to  suppose  that  the  latter  had  at 
heart  the  welfare  of  the  people  of  England,  any  more 
than  had  the  creatures  who  surrounded  the  King.  The 
Duke  was  moved  by  resentment,  pride,  and  ambition, 
and  many  believed  that  he  aimed  at  the  crown. 

The  chief  favourites  of  Richard  were  Michael  de  la 
Pole,  whom  he  created  Earl  of  Suffolk,  and  Robert  de 
Vere,  a  young  and  handsome  man,  who  was  made 
Marquis  of  Dublin,  receiving,  at  the  same  time,  the 
extraordinary  grant  of  the  whole  revenue  of  Ireland, 
out  of  which  he  was  to  pay  a  yearly  rent  of  five  thou- 
sand marks  to  the  King.  He  was  soon  after  created 
Duke  of  Ireland.  The  other  advisers  of  the  King  were 
2  F 


434  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Worth,  Archbishop  of  York,  Sir  Simon  Burley,  and  Sir 
Robert  Tresilian.  These  certainly  judged  rightly  when 
they  opposed  the  prosecution  of  the  war  in  France, 
and  the  subvention  of  the  claims  of  the  Duke  of  Lan- 
caster to  the  Crown  of  Castile.  The  country  was  being 
drained  of  men  and  money  in  these  profitless  wars. 
But  the  nobles,  headed  by  Thomas  of  Gloucester, 
opposed  this  policy,  and  naturally  had  the  support  of 
those  who  made  money  out  of  the  wars.  To  defeat  the 
plans  of  the  council,  Gloucester  demanded  the  dis- 
missal of  Suffolk.  The  King  petulantly  answered  that 
he  would  not  at  his  command  dismiss  a  scullion-boy 
from  his  kitchen.  Suffolk  was,  however,  impeached 
by  the  Commons  for  undue  use  of  his  influence,  and 
the  King  was  obliged  to  submit  to  the  fining  and  im- 
prisonment of  his  favourite.  It  was  next  proposed  that 
a  council  should  be  appointed  to  reform  the  State. 
At  this  proposition  Richard  threatened  to  dissolve  the 
Parliament.  A  member  of  the  Commons  thereupon 
moved  that  the  statute  deposing  Edward  II  should  be 
read,  and  the  King  was  warned  that  death  might  be 
the  penalty  of  a  continued  refusal.  He  yielded.  The 
commission  was  appointed,  and  Gloucester  and  his 
friends,  who  formed  the  great  majority,  were  masters 
of  England.  In  yielding,  Richard  limited  the  duration 
of  the  commission  to  a  year.  The  King  was  now 
twenty  years  of  age,  but  he  was  reduced  to  as  mere  a 
cipher  as  when  he  was  a  boy  of  eleven. 

In  the  month  of  August  in  the  following  year,  1387, 
acting  under  the  advice  of  Tresilian,  he  assembled  a 
council  at  Nottingham,  and  submitted  to  some  of  the 
judges  who  attended  it  this  question — Whether  the 
Commission  of  Government  appointed  by  Parliament, 
and  approved  of  under  his  own  seal,  were  legal  or 
illegal?     Tresilian  led  the  rest  of  the  judges  to  certify 


SIR    ROBERT   TRESILIAN  435 

that  the  commission  was  illegal,  and  that  all  those  who 
had  introduced  the  measure  were  liable  to  capital 
punishment ;  that  all  who  supported  it  were  by  that 
act  guilty  of  high  treason  ;  in  short,  that  both  Lords 
and  Commons  were  traitors. 

On  the  nth  November  following  the  King  returned 
to  London,  when  he  was  alarmed  by  hearing  that  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester,  the  Earls  of  Arundel  and  Notting- 
ham, the  Constable,  Admiral,  and  Marshal  of  England 
were  approaching  the  capital  at  the  head  of  forty  thou- 
sand men.  The  decision  of  Tresilian  and  the  judges 
and  of  the  King  had,  in  fact,  forced  them  into  re- 
bellion, as  it  was  pretty  evident  that  Richard  aimed  at 
taking  their  lives. 

So  soon  as  Richard's  cousin,  the  Earl  of  Derby, 
heard  of  the  approach  of  Gloucester,  he  quitted  the 
Court  with  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  went  to  Waltham 
Cross,  and  there  joined  him.  The  members  of  the 
Council  of  Eleven  were  there  already.  On  Sunday,  the 
17th  of  November,  the  Duke  entered  London  with  an 
irresistible  force  and  "appealed"  of  treason  the  Arch- 
bishop of  York,  De  Vere,  Duke  of  Ireland,  De  la  Pole, 
Earl  of  Suffolk,  Sir  Robert  Tresilian,  Chief  Justice  of 
England,  and  Sir  Nicolas  Brember,  Knight,  a  London 
grocer  and  Lord  Mayor  of  London. 

The  favourites  instantly  took  to  flight.  De  la  Pole, 
the  condemned  Chancellor,  succeeded  in  reaching 
France,  where  he  died  soon  after  ;  De  Vere,  Duke  of 
Ireland,  got  to  the  borders  of  Wales,  where  he  raised 
an  army,  acting  in  concert  with  the  King ;  it  was 
resolved  he  should  march  to  London.  The  Archbishop 
of  York  escaped  to  Flanders,  where  he  spent  the  rest 
of  his  days  as  a  village  priest. 

The  fate  of  Chief  Justice  Tresilian  must  be  told  in 
the  words  of  Sir  John  Froissart. 


436  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Richard  had  gone  to  Bristol  to  organize  an  army 
against  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  and  De  Vere,  the 
Duke  of  Ireland,  was  with  him  there. 

"While  the  army  was  collecting,  the  King  and  the 
Duke  in  secret  conference,  determined  to  send  one  of 
their  confidential  agents  to  London,  to  observe  what 
was  going  forward,  and  if  the  King's  uncles  still 
remained  there,  to  discover  what  they  were  doing. 
After  some  consultation,  they  could  think  of  no  proper 
person  to  send  on  this  errand  ;  when  a  knight  who  was 
cousin  to  the  Duke,  called  Sir  Robert  Tresilian, 
stepped  forth,  and  said  to  the  Duke,  '  I  see  the  difficulty 
you  have  to  find  a  trusty  person  to  send  to  London  ;  I, 
from  love  of  you,  will  risk  the  adventure.'  The  King 
and  the  Duke,  well  pleased  with  the  offer,  thanked  him 
for  it.  Tresilian  left  Bristol  disguised  as  a  poor  trades- 
man, mounted  on  a  wretched  hackney.  He  continued 
his  road  to  London,  and  lodged  at  an  inn  where  he  was 
unknown  ;  for  no  man  could  have  ever  imagined  that 
one  of  the  King's  counsellors  and  chamberlains  would 
have  appeared  in  so  miserable  a  dress. 

"When  in  London,  he  picked  up  all  the  news  that 
was  possible,  for  he  could  do  no  more,  respecting  the 
King's  uncles  and  the  citizens.  Having  heard  that 
there  was  to  be  a  meeting  of  the  Dukes  and  their 
council  at  Westminster,  he  determined  to  go  thither  to 
learn  secretly  all  he  could  of  their  proceedings.  This 
he  executed,  and  fixed  his  quarters  at  an  ale-house 
right  opposite  the  palace  gate.  He  chose  a  chamber 
the  window  of  which  looked  into  the  palace  yard,  where 
he  posted  himself  to  observe  all  who  should  come  to 
this  Parliament.  The  greater  part  he  knew,  but  was 
not,  from  his  disguise,  known  to  them.  He,  however, 
remained  there  at  different  times,  so  long,  that  a  squire 
of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  saw  and  recognized  him, 


SIR    ROBERT    TRESILIAN  437 

for  he  had  been  many  times  in  his  company.  Sir 
Robert  also  at  once  recollected  him,  and  withdrew 
from  the  window;  but  the  squire,  having  his  suspicions, 
said,  'Surely  that  must  be  Tresilian.'  To  be  certain 
on  this  point,  he  entered  the  ale-house,  and  said  to  the 
landlady,  'Dame,  tell  me,  on  your  troth,  who  is  he 
that  is  drinking  in  the  room  above  ;  he  is  alone  and 
not  in  company.'  'On  my  troth,  sir,'  she  replied,  'I 
cannot  give  you  his  name;  but  he  has  been  here  some 
time.'  At  these  words,  the  squire  went  upstairs  to 
know  the  truth,  and  having  saluted  Sir  Robert,  found 
he  was  right,  though  he  dissembled  by  saying,  '  God 
preserve  you,  master  !  I  hope  you  will  not  take  my 
coming  amiss,  for  I  thought  you  had  been  one  of  my 
farmers  from  Essex,  as  you  are  so  very  like  him.'  '  By 
no  means,' said  Sir  Robert;  'I  am  from  Kent,  and  hold 
lands  of  Sir  John  Holland,  and  wish  to  lay  my  com- 
plaints before  the  Council  against  the  tenants  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  who  encroach  much  on  my 
farm.'  '  If  you  will  come  into  the  hall,'  said  the  squire, 
'  I  will  have  way  made  for  you  to  lay  your  grievances 
before  the  lords.'  '  Many  thanks,'  replied  Sir  Robert ; 
'  not  at  this  moment,  but  I  shall  not  renounce  your 
assistance."  At  the  words  the  squire  ordered  a  quart 
of  ale,  and  having  paid  for  it,  he  said,  '  God  be  with 
you  ! '  and  left  the  ale-house. 

*'He  lost  no  time  in  hastening  to  the  council- 
chamber,  and  called  to  the  usher  to  open  the  door. 
The  usher,  knowing  him,  asked  his  business.  He  said, 
'  he  must  instantly  speak  with  the  Duke  of  Gloucester, 
on  matters  that  mainly  concerned  him  and  the  council.' 
The  usher,  on  this,  bade  him  enter,  which  he  did,  and 
made  up  to  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  saying,  '  My  lord, 
I  will  tell  it  aloud  ;  for  it  concerns  not  you  only  but  all 
the  lords  present.     I  have  seen  Sir  Robert  Tresilian, 


438  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

disguised  as  a  peasant,  in  an  ale-house  close  by  the 
palace  gate.'  '  Tresilian  ! '  exclaimed  the  Duke.  '  On 
my  faith,  my  lord,  it  is  true  ;  and  you  will  have  him  to 
dine  with,  if  you  please.'  *I  should  like  it  much,' 
replied  the  Duke  ;  *  for  he  will  tell  us  some  news  of  his 
master,  the  Duke  of  Ireland.  Go,  and  secure  him  ;  but 
with  power  enough  not  to  be  in  danger  of  failing.' 

"The  squire  on  these  orders,  left  the  council-cham- 
ber,  and  having   chosen    four   bailiffs,   said    to  them, 

*  Follow  me  at  a  distance  ;  and  so  soon  as  you  shall 
perceive  me  make  you  a  sign  to  arrest  a  man  I  am  in 
search  of,  lay  hands  on  him,  and  take  care  he  do  not, 
on  any  account,  escape.'  The  squire  made  for  the  ale- 
house where  he  had  left  Sir  Robert,  and,  mounting  the 
staircase  to  the  room  where  he  was,  said,  on  entering  : 

*  Tresilian,  you  are  not  come  to  this  country  for  any 
good,  as  I  imagine  ;  my  Lord  of  Gloucester  sends  me 
for  you,  and  you  must  come  and  speak  with  him.'  The 
knight  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and  would  have  been  excused 
by  saying,  '  I  am  not  Tresilian,  but  a  tenant  of  Sir 
John  Holland.' 

"'That  is  not  true,'  replied  the  squire;  'your  body 
is  Tresilian's,  though  not  your  dress.'  And,  making  a 
sign  to  the  bailiffs,  who  were  at  the  door,  they  entered 
the  house  and  arrested  him,  and,  whether  he  would  or 
not,  carried  him  to  the  palace.  You  may  believe,  there 
was  a  great  crowd  to  see  him  ;  for  he  was  well  known 
in  London,  and  in  many  parts  of  England. 

"The  Duke  of  Gloucester  was  much  pleased,  and 
would  see  him.  When  in  his  presence,  the  Duke 
said  :  'Tresilian,  what  has  brought  you  hither?  How 
fares  my  Sovereign?  Where  does  he  now  reside?' 
Tresilian,  finding  that  he  was  discovered,  and  that  no 
excuses  would  avail,  replied  :  '  On  my  faith,  my  lord, 
the  King  has  sent  me  hither  to  learn  the  news.     He  is 


SIR   ROBERT   TRESILIAN  439 

in  Bristol,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Severn,  where  he 
hunts  and  amuses  himself.' 

"  *  How  !'  said  the  Duke,  "  You  do  not  come  dressed 
as  an  honest  man,  but  like  a  spy.  If  you  had  been 
desirous  to  learn  what  was  passing,  your  appearance 
should  have  been  like  that  of  a  knight  or  a  decent 
person.'  'My  lord,'  answered  Tresilian,  *  if  I  have 
done  wrong,  I  hope  you  will  excuse  me,  for  I  have 
only  done  what  I  was  bid.'  '  And  where  is  your 
master,  the  Duke  of  Ireland?'  'My  lord,'  said  Tre- 
silian, 'he  is  with  the  King,  my  lord.'  The  Duke 
then  added  :  '  We  have  been  informed  that  he  is  col- 
lecting a  large  body  of  men,  and  that  the  King  has 
issued  his  summons  to  that  effect.  Whither  does  he 
mean  to  lead  them?'  'My  lord,  they  are  indeed  for 
Ireland.'  'For  Ireland!'  said  the  Duke.  'Yes,  in- 
deed, as  God  may  help  me,'  answered  Tresilian. 

"The  Duke  mused  awhile, and  then  spoke:  'Tresilian, 
Tresilian,  your  actions  are  neither  fair  nor  honest. 
You  have  committed  a  great  piece  of  folly  in  coming 
to  these  parts,  where  you  are  far  from  being  loved,  as 
will  shortly  be  shown  to  you.  Yes,  and  others  of  your 
faction  have  done  what  has  greatly  displeased  my 
brother  and  myself,  and  have  ill-advised  the  King, 
whom  you  have  stirred  up  to  quarrel  with  his  chief 
nobility.  In  addition,  you  have  excited  the  principal 
towns  against  us.  The  day  of  retribution  is  therefore 
come,  when  you  shall  receive  payment ;  for  whoever 
acts  unjustly  receives  his  reward.  Look  to  your  affairs, 
for  I  will  neither  eat  nor  drink  till  you  be  no  more.' 

"  This  speech  greatly  terrified  Sir  Robert  (for  no  one 
likes  to  hear  of  his  end)  by  the  manner  in  which  it  was 
uttered.  He  was  desirous  to  obtain  pardon,  by  various 
excuses,  and  the  most  abject  humiliation,  but  in  vain. 
The  Duke  had  received  information  of  what  was  going 


440  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

on  at  Bristol,  and  his  excuses  were  frivolous.  Why 
should  I  make  a  long  story?  Sir  Robert  was  delivered 
to  the  hangman,  who  led  him  out  to  the  place  of 
execution,  where  he  was  beheaded,  and  then  hung  by 
the  arms  to  a  gibbet.  Thus  ended  Sir  Robert  Tre- 
silian." 


I 


PIRATE   TRELAWNY 

EDWARD  JOHN  TRELAWNY,  a  younger 
son  of  Charles  Brereton  Trelawny,  came  into 
this  world  on  the  2nd  or  3rd  of  November, 
but  in  what  year  is  not  certain.  It  is  said  that 
he  was  born  in  1792,  but  either  this  is  a  wrong  date,  or 
else  Colonel  Vivian,  in  his  Visitations  of  Cornwall, 
errs,  for  he  gives  that  year  as  the  one  in  which  Harry 
Brereton  Trelawny,  the  eldest  son,  was  born.  Charles 
Brereton  Trelawny  was  the  son  of  Harry  Trelawny,  a 
lieutenant-general  in  the  army  and  Governor  of  Land- 
guard  Fort. 

Of  his  father,  Edward  John  entertained  no  favourable 
opinion.  *'My  father,  notwithstanding  his  increased 
fortune,  did  not  increase  his  expenditure ;  nay,  he 
established,  if  possible,  a  stricter  system  of  economy. 
The  only  symptom  he  ever  showed  of  imagination  was 
castle-building  ;  but  his  fabrications  were  founded  on  a 
more  solid  basis  than  is  usually  to  be  met  with  among 
the  visions  of  day-dreamers.  No  unreal  mockery  of 
fairy  scenes  of  bliss  found  a  resting-place  in  his  bosom. 
Ingots,  money,  lands,  houses,  and  tenements  consti- 
tuted his  dreams.  He  became  a  mighty  arithmetician 
by  the  aid  of  a  ready  reckoner,  his  pocket  companion  ;  he 
set  down  to  a  fraction  the  sterling  value  of  all  his  and  his 
wife's  relations,  the  heirs  at  law,  their  nearest  of  kin, 
their  ages,  and  the  state  of  their  constitutions.  The 
insurance  table  was  examined  to  calculate  the  value  of 
their  lives  ;  to  this  he  added  the  probable  chances  aris- 

441 


442  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ing  from  diseases,  hereditary  and  acquired,  always  for- 
getting his  own  gout.  He  then  determined  to  regulate 
his  conduct  accordingly  ;  to  maintain  the  most  friendly 
intercourse  with  his  wealthy  connexions,  and  to  keep 
aloof  from  the  poor  ones.  Having  no  occasion  to 
borrow,  his  aversion  to  lending  amounted  to  antipathy. 
The  distrust  and  horror  he  expressed  at  the  slightest 
allusion  to  loans,  unbacked  by  security  and  interest, 
had  the  effect  of  making  the  most  imprudent  and  adven- 
turous desist  from  essaying  him,  and  continue  in  their 
necessities,  or  beg,  or  rob,  or  starve,  in  preference  to 
urging  their  wants  to  him. 

"  It  was  his  custom  to  appropriate  a  room  in  the 
house  to  the  conservation  of  those  things  he  loved — 
choice  wines,  foreign  preserves,  cordials.  This  sanc- 
tum was  a  room  on  the  ground  floor,  under  a  skylight. 
Our  next-door  neighbours'  pastime  happened  to  be  a 
game  of  balls,  when  one  of  them  lodged  on  the  leaded 
roof  of  this  consecrated  room.  Two  of  my  sisters,  of 
the  ages  of  fourteen  and  sixteen,  ran  from  the  drawing- 
room  back  window  to  seek  for  the  ball,  and  slipping  on 
the  leads,  the  younger  fell  through  the  skylight  on  to 
the  bottles  and  jars  upon  the  table  below.  She  was 
dreadfully  bruised,  and  her  hands,  legs  and  face  were 
cut,  so  much  so,  that  she  still  retains  the  scars.  Her 
sister  gave  the  alarm.  My  mother  was  called  ;  she 
went  to  the  door  of  the  store-room  ;  her  child  screamed 
out,  for  God's  sake  to  open  the  door;  she  was  bleeding 
to  death.  My  mother  dared  not  break  the  lock,  as  my 
father  had  prohibited  any  one  from  entering  this,  his 
blue  chamber  ;  and  what  was  worse,  he  had  the  key. 
Other  keys  were  tried,  but  none  could  open  the  door. 
Had  I  been  there,  my  foot  should  have  picked  the  lock. 
Will  it  be  believed  that,  in  that  state,  my  sister  was 
compelled  to  await  my  father's  return  from  the  House 


1.1  'W  Ai;l  i    I'  MI  N     11:1,1    \'.'. 
i' yjin  a  it?-azrifi^  by  IK  Liu 


PIRATE   TRELAWNY  443 

of  Commons,  of  which  he  was  a  member?  At  last, 
when  he  returned,  my  mother  informed  him  of  the 
accident,  and  tried  to  allay  the  wrath  which  she  saw 
gathering  on  his  brow.  He  took  no  notice  of  her,  but 
paced  forward  to  the  closet,  when  the  delinquent,  awed 
by  his  dreadful  voice,  hushed  her  sobs.  He  opened 
the  door  and  found  her  there,  scarcely  able  to  stand, 
trembling  and  weeping.  Without  speaking  a  word, 
he  kicked  and  cuffed  her  out  of  the  room,  and  then 
gloomily  decanted  what  wine  remained  in  the  broken 
bottles." 

The  mother  of  Edward  John  was  Maria,  sister  of  Sir 
Christopher  Hawkins,   of  Trewithen. 

That  a  high-spirited,  self-willed,  passionate  boy  like 
Edward  John  should  get  on  with  such  a  father  was 
antecedently  improbable  ;  and  he  was  sent  to  sea  at  the 
age  of  twelve  in  the  Superb,  and  had  the  ill  fortune  to 
miss  the  battle  of  Trafalgar,  through  Admiral  Duck- 
worth delaying  three  days  at  Plymouth  to  victual  his 
ships  with  mutton  and  potatoes. 

*'  Young  as  I  was,  I  shall  never  forget  our  falling  in 
with  the  Pickle  schooner  off  Trafalgar,  carrying  the 
first  despatches  of  the  battle  and  death  of  its  hero. 
Her  commander,  burning  with  impatience  to  be  the 
first  to  convey  the  news  to  England,  was  compelled  to 
heave  to  and  come  on  board  us.  Captain  Keates 
received  him  on  deck,  and  when  he  heard  the  news 
I  was  by  his  side.  Silence  reigned  throughout  the 
ship  ;  some  great  event  was  anticipated.  The  officers 
stood  in  groups,  watching  with  intense  anxiety  the  two 
commanders,  who  walked  apart.  '  Battle,'  '  Nelson,' 
'ships,'  were  the  only  audible  words  which  could  be 
gathered  from  their  conversation.  I  saw  the  blood  rush 
into  Keates's  face  ;  he  stamped  the  deck,  walked  hur- 
riedly, and  spoke  with  passion.     I  marvelled,  for  I  had 


444  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

never  before  seen  him  much  moved  ;  he  had  appeared 
cool,  firm,  and  collected  on  all  occasions,  and  it  struck 
me  that  some  awful  event  had  taken  place,  or  was  at 
hand.  The  Admiral  was  still  in  his  cabin,  eager  for 
news  from  the  Nelson  fleet.  He  was  an  irritable  and 
violent  man,  and  after  a  few  minutes,  swelling  with 
wrath,  he  sent  an  order  to  Keates,  who  possibly  heard  it 
not,  but  staggered  along  the  deck,  struck  to  the  heart 
by  the  news,  and,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  forgot 
his  respect  to  his  superior  in  rank ;  muttering,  as  it 
seemed,  curses  on  his  fate  that,  by  the  Admiral's  delay, 
he  had  not  participated  in  the  most  glorious  battle  in 
naval  history.  Another  messenger  enforced  him  to 
descend  in  haste  to  the  Admiral,  who  was  high  in  rage 
and  impatience. 

*' Keates,  for  I  followed  him,  on  entering  the  Admiral's 
cabin  said  in  a  subdued  voice,  as  if  he  were  choking, 
'  A  great  battle  has  been  fought,  two  days  ago,  off 
Trafalgar.  The  combined  fleets  of  France  and  Spain 
are  annihilated,  and  Nelson  is  no  more!'  He  then 
murmured,  '  Had  we  not  been  detained  we  should 
have  been  there.' 

"Duckworth  answered  not,  conscience-struck,  but 
stalked  the  deck.  He  seemed  ever  to  avoid  the  look 
of  his  captain,  and  turned  to  converse  with  the  com- 
mander of  the  schooner,  who  replied  in  sulky  brevity, 
'  Yes  '  or  '  No.'  Then,  dismissing  him,  he  ordered  all 
sail  to  be  set,  and  walked  the  quarter-deck  alone.  A 
death-like  stillness  pervaded  the  ship,  broken  at  inter- 
vals by  the  low  murmurs  of  the  crew  and  officers, 
when  'battle'  and  'Nelson'  could  alone  be  distin- 
guished. Sorrow  and  discontent  were  painted  on 
every  face. 

"On  the  following  morning  we  fell  in  with  a  portion 
of  the  victorious  fleet.     It  was    blowing  a   gale,   and 


PIRATE   TRELAWNY  445 

they  lay  wrecks  on  the  sea.  Our  Admiral  communi- 
cated with  them,  and  then,  joining  Collingwood,  had 
six  sail  of  the  line  put  under  his  command,  with  orders 
to  pursue  that  part  of  the  enemy's  fleet  which  had 
escaped ;  and  I  joined  the  ship  to  which  I  was  appointed. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  on  the  miseries  of  a  cockpit 
life :  I  found  it  more  tolerable  than  my  school,  and 
little  worse  than  my  home." 

When  paid  off  he  was  sent  under  a  Scotch  captain, 
who  treated  him  badly,  and  then  he  was  in  another 
vessel  and  resolved  to  desert  the  service.  This  he  did 
at  Bombay.  So  far  we  can  trust  what  Trelawny  has 
given  us  in  that  remarkable  book  Adventures  of  a 
Younger  Son;  but  from  this  point  on  he  romances,  but 
romances  with  an  air  of  reality.  It  is  not  possible  to 
discriminate  fact  from  fiction  in  what  follows.  Un- 
doubtedly Pirate  Trelawny  started  on  his  memoirs  with 
the  intent  of  writing  his  autobiography,  but  he  was 
inordinately  vain,  and  delighted  in  posturing  as  a  hero 
and  in  describing  marvellous  adventures  through  which 
he  passed,  heightening  them  sensationally  with  won- 
derful skill. 

What  seems  probable  is  that,  after  deserting  from  the 
navy,  he  was  for  a  while  in  the  merchant  service,  and 
then  joined  a  privateer  cruising  in  the  India  seas.  As 
Mr.  E.  Garnett  well  says,  "the  Younger  Son  is  an 
excellent  stage  hero  by  the  finish  ;  he  meets  and  over- 
comes all  odds  ;  it  is  truly  a  glorious  Trelawny — the 
Trelawny  of  his  own  imagination." 

He  states  that  he  was  married  when  he  was  twenty- 
one,  and  that  the  marriage  took  place  in  England,  so 
that  he  must  have  returned  home  somewhere  about 
1813.  But  we  really  know  nothing  authentic  of  his 
movements  till  1822,  when  he  was  in  England,  and 
thence  went  to  Italy,  where  he  made  acquaintance  with 


446  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Lord  Byron  and  with  Shelley.  After  the  lamentable 
death  of  the  latter  poet  he  attended  at  the  cremation  of 
the  body.  Thence  he  went  with  Byron  to  Greece  in 
the  Hercules^  to  aid  the  Greeks  against  the  Turks. 
They  arrived  at  Cephalonia,  off  the  west  coast,  in  the 
beginning  of  August,  1823,  and  there  Lord  Byron 
resolved  on  staying  till  he  could  ascertain  how  things 
were  progressing  in  Greece  and  decide  on  his  future 
course  of  action.  This  delay  did  not  at  all  suit  the 
impetuosity  of  the  character  of  Trelawny,  who  called  it 
dawdling,  and  set  forward  for  the  mainland  in  company 
with  Hamilton  Browne,  making  his  way  to  the  seat 
of  the  Greek  Government.  He  also  sent  emissaries  to 
England  to  endeavour  to  raise  a  loan,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Athens.  Here  the  insurgent  leader  Odysseus 
was  in  command,  and  to  his  fortunes  Trelawny  at  once 
attached  himself,  and  married  the  sister  of  the  Greek 
chieftain. 

Major  Temple,  resident  at  Santa  Maura,  during  his 
mission  to  the  Morea  in  June,  1824,  met  Odysseus, 
and  described  him  as  "a  perfect  Albanian  chieftain — 
savage  in  manners  and  appearance,  of  great  muscular 
strength,  and  about  six  feet  high." 

He  had  his  head-quarters  in  a  huge  cavern  in  the 
face  of  the  limestone  precipices  of  Mount  Parnassus, 
which  he  had  strongly  fortified,  and  in  this  he  kept  his 
treasure  that  he  had  accumulated  and  lodged  his  family. 
In  the  meantime  dissension  had  broken  out  among  the 
Greeks,  between  the  leaders  of  the  bands  that  did  all 
the  fighting,  under  Kolokotroni,  and  the  Executive 
Government  that  had  been  elected  by  the  primates, 
at  the  head  of  which  stood  Mavrocordato.  A  complete 
rupture  had  ensued  at  the  end  of  1823  between  the 
parties,  and  the  guerilla  chieftains  absolutely  refused 
obedience  to  the  Provisional  Government. 


PIRATE   TRELAWNY  447 

In  the  same  winter  of  1823-4  Trelawny  accompanied 
Odysseus  as  aide-de-camp  upon  an  expedition  into 
Negropont,  and  on  their  return  to  Athens,  where 
Colonel  Stanhope  then  was,  Trelawny  sent  a  letter  to 
his  mother,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract : — 

"Athens,  iSih  Febrjiary,  1824. 

*'  Dear  Mother, — I  am  enabled  to  keep  twenty-five 
followers,  Albanian  soldiers,  with  whom  I  have  joined 
the  most  enterprising  of  the  Greek  captains  and  most 
powerful — Ulysses.  I  am  much  with  him,  and  have 
done  my  best  during  the  winter  campaign,  in  which  we 
have  besieged  Negropont,  to  make  up  for  the  many  years 
of  idleness  I  have  led.  I  am  now  in  my  element,  and  the 
energy  of  my  youth  is  reawakened.  I  have  clothed 
myself  in  the  Albanian  costume  and  sworn  to  uphold 
the  cause. 

**  Everything  here  is  going  on  as  well  as  heart  can 
wish.  Great  part  of  Greece  is  already  emancipated. 
The  Morea  is  free,  and  we  are  making  rapid  progress 
to  the  westward.  Lord  Byron  spends  ^^5000  a  year  in 
the  cause  and  maintains  five  hundred  soldiers.  This 
will  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  redeem  the  follies  of  youth. 
'*  Your  affectionate  son, 

"Edward  Trelawny." 

Trelawny  and  Odysseus  desired  to  get  Lord  Byron 
to  be  with  them,  but  this  plan  was  frustrated  by  the 
death  of  the  poet  on  April  19th,  1824. 

Colonel  Stanhope  proposed  a  congress  of  the  civil 
and  military  leaders,  so  as  to  effect  a  reconciliation  be- 
tween the  two  embittered  elements  that  were  weaken- 
ing the  resistance  against  the  common  enemy,  the 
Turk.  Odysseus  consented  to  attend  this  meeting  at 
Salona,    and    Trelawny    also   agreed    to    be    present. 


448  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Mavrocordato  looked  on  Trelawny  with  suspicion  as 
intimate  with  Odysseus  and  as  his  brother-in-law,  and 
he  foisted  upon  him  an  English  spy  named  Fenton,  and 
an  accomplice  of  the  name  of  Whitcombe,  with  secret 
instructions  to  make  away  with  him. 

After  returning  from  Salona,  Trelawny  was  with 
Odysseus  in  Eastern  Greece,  carrying  on  the  war  in 
guerilla  fashion  without  any  great  results. 

In  the  autumn  he  was  at  Argos,  whence  a  letter 
(certainly  his,  though  unsigned)  was  sent  to  his  brother 
Lieutenant  Harry  Trelawny,  r.n. 

''.  .  .  To  give  you  an  idea  of  the  misery  existing 
here  is  beyond  all  expression.  The  town  is  nothing 
more  or  less  than  a  chaos  of  ruins  ;  not  a  house  in- 
habitable. The  fever  making  great  havoc,  people 
actually  falling  down  in  the  streets.  The  stench  of  the 
place  is  so  great  I  am  obliged  to  remove  my  quarters 
to  the  once  famous  Argos,  not  more  than  an  hour's 
walk  from  Agamemnon's  tomb,  which  I  have  not  yet 
seen.  The  scenery  is  beautiful  ;  perfectly  romantic.  I 
am  now  living  in  a  house  without  doors  or  windows, 
every  man  armed. 

"The  Commissioners  are  both  sick.  Mr.  Bulwer  has 
proposed  to  raise  a  body  of  fifty  men,  but  I  am  afraid  it 
will  all  evaporate  in  smoke,  like  all  his  undertakings 
here.  I  am  much  afraid  nothing  is  to  be  done  :  they 
look  on  all  foreigners  as  intruders.  Many  of  the 
French  have  behaved  most  shamefully,  but,  as  I  told 
you  before,  I  will  exert  every  effort.  All  my  hopes  are 
placed  in  Colonel  Gordon's  arrival. 

"Your  Brother." 

The  Commissioners  referred  to  were  Henry  Lytton 
Bulwer  (Lord  Bailing)  and  J.  H.  Browne,  sent  out  by 
the  Greek  Committee  in  London,  when  it  was  too  late, 


PIRATE   TRELAWNY  449 

to  ascertain  whether  the  Greek  Provisional  Government 
was  sufficiently  firmly  established,  and  sufficiently  trust- 
worthy, to  warrant  the  paying  over  to  it  of  that  part  of 
the  loan  raised  in  England  on  their  behalf  not  already 
advanced.  The  loan  was  of  i^8oo,ooo,  but  from  this 
56.4  per  cent  was  deducted,  so  that  the  whole  amount 
to  be  forwarded  to  the  Greek  Government  would  be 
only  ;^348,ooo. 

Odysseus  was  beset  with  difficulties,  as  the  Provisional 
Government  refused  to  furnish  him  with  men  or  money. 
Trelawny  made  vain  attempts  to  raise  funds. 

Ultimately  Odysseus  made  a  truce  for  three  months 
with  Omer  Pasha,  of  Negropont,  but  being  regarded 
with  suspicion  on  both  sides,  he  endeavoured  to  make 
his  escape,  and  left  Trelawny  in  charge  of  the  cave  and 
its  contents.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Fenton,  the  hired 
spy,  in  May,  1825,  made  the  attempt  to  assassinate  Tre- 
lawny. He  took  the  opportunity  when  Trelawny's 
back  was  towards  him  to  shoot  him. 

Odysseus  was  compelled  to  surrender  to  the  Govern- 
ment, was  carried  off  to  Athens,  where  he  was  strangled 
by  order  of  Mavrocordato. 

Trelawny's  wounds  were  so  dangerous  that  he 
suffered  for  three  months  before  he  could  be  said  to 
have  recovered,  and  he  then  escaped  from  the  cavern 
and  landed  in  Cephalonia  in  September,  1825,  bringing 
his  Albanian  wife  with  him.  During  the  next  two 
years  he  was  engaged  in  a  lawsuit  about  his  wife,  whom 
he  treated  with  brutality,  so  that  she  left  him  and 
retired  to  a  convent,  with  purpose  ultimately  to  pro- 
ceed to  Paxo,  where  lived  her  sister.  Whilst  in  the 
convent  she  was  delivered  of  a  child  which  she  sent  to 
Trelawny  to  be  put  out  to  nurse,  as  they  objected  in 
the  convent  to  have  the  infant  there.  Trelawny  sent 
it  to  a  woman  who  undertook  to  rear  it,  but  it  died, 

2   G 


450  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

whereupon,  as  Mr.  H.  Robinson  of  Zante  wrote  to 
Toole  on  22nd  November,  1827,  "he  sent  the  dead 
body  to  the  Castle  Monastery,  where  she  (his  wife)  was, 
in  a  box  with  her  things  and  a  message  from  him. 
The  wife  knew  not  what  was  in  the  box  and  refused  to 
open  it,  and  there  it  lay  until  putrid. 

"An  examination  took  place  with  all  the  fuss  which 
the  courts  make  about  suspicione  cPinfanticido,  and 
ended  by  T.  being  fined  two  dollars  for  improperly 
removing  a  dead  body." 

In  or  about  the  month  of  July,  1829,  Signora 
Trelawny  made  petition  to  the  Lord  High  Com- 
missioner to  the  following  effect : — 

"It  is  perhaps  known  to  Your  Excellency  that  at 
about  the  age  of  thirteen  I  was  given  in  marriage  to 
Signor  Trelawny,  my  family  urging  that  I  should  live 
happily  with  one  brought  up  in  the  courtesy  and  good- 
breeding  of  his  country  ;  but,  as  my  experience  proved, 
he  failed  to  treat  me  with  that  consideration  and 
nobility  of  character  which  distinguish  the  men  of 
his  nation.  The  nature  of  the  long-continued  treat- 
ment which  I  have  had  to  endure  at  the  hands  of  the 
said  Signor  Trelawny  is  not  unknown,  and  at  the  last, 
it  is  perhaps  within  Your  Excellency's  recollection  that 
he  brought  grief  to  my  very  eyes  by  sending  me 
while  in  the  convent,  with  cunning  and  brutality,  the 
dead  body  of  my  daughter  and  his." 

She  then  stated  that  Zante  had  become  lonely  for 
her,  as  her  brothers  and  mother  had  gone  to  Greece. 
She  wanted  to  go  to  Paxo  to  her  sister,  but  the  custom 
of  Zante  obliged  a  wife  separated  from  her  husband  to 
live  in  a  convent. 

She  continued:  "I  venture  humbly  to  ask  Your 
Excellency  if,  being  the  wife  of  an  Englishman,  I 
ought   to   be  subject  to   the  custom    of  the  island  in 


PIRATE    TRELAWNY  451 

which  I  chance  to  find  myself  a  resident.  Should  an 
Englishwoman  be  subjected  to  such  treatment  as  I 
am?  ...  I  promise  Your  Excellency  that,  in  what- 
ever place  or  situation  I  find  myself,  I  will  conduct 
myself  always  as  is  proper  for  the  wife  of  an  English 
gentleman  ;  and  though  he  himself  may  be  wanting  in 
dignity  of  behaviour,  I  will  do  neither  him  nor  myself 
the  dishonour  of  imitating  him. 

"Tersitza  Philippa  Trelawny." 

This  petition  and  the  letter  of  Mr.  Robinson  suffice 
to  show  that  the  story  of  Trelawny  sending  his  dead 
child  in  a  box  to  its  mother  is  not  to  be  rejected  as 
a  fable,  as  it  has  been  by  the  author  of  the  notice  on 
Edward  John  Trelawny  in  the  Dictionary  of  National 
Biography.^  The  poor  unfortunate  girl,  then  aged 
seventeen,  obtained  a  separation  from  her  husband 
a  mensa  et  thoro,  by  a  sentence  of  the  Ecclesiastical 
Court,  and  by  definitive  sentences  of  the  courts  of 
law  in  Zante  and  Corfu  she  was  entitled  to  an  aliment 
from  her  husband  of  twenty-five  dollars  a  month,  for 
the  payment  of  which  Mr.  Barff,  the  banker  of  Zante, 
and  Mr.  Stevens,  of  Corfu,  were  securities.  But  this 
was  the  result  of  much  litigation,  causing  Trelawny 
annoyance  and  angering  him  to  the  last  degree. 

In  the  autumn  of  1828  he  visited  England,  but  re- 
turned to  the  Continent  in  the  spring  of  the  following 
year,  feeling  out  of  his  element  at  home.  "To  whom 
am  I  a  neighbour?"  he  wrote,  "and  near  whom?  I 
dwell  amongst  tame  and  civilized  human  beings  with 
somewhat  the  same  feelings  as  we  may  guess  the  lion 
feels  when,  torn  from  his  native  wildness,  he  is  tortured 
into  domestic  intercourse  with  what  Shakespeare  calls 

1  See  for  the  above  and  more  on  the  subject  of  "  Pirate  Trelawny" 
an  article  by  T.  C.  Down  in  the  Nineteenth  Century,  May,  1907. 


452  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

'forked  animals,'  the  most  abhorrent  to  his  nature." 
He  rambled  about ;  set  up  a  harem  in  Athens,  bought  a 
Moorish  girl  to  be  his  concubine,  wrote  his  Adventures 
of  a  Younger  Son,  and  sent  the  MS.  in  1830  to  Mrs. 
Shelley,  and  it  was  published  in  three  volumes  in  1831, 
with  some  excisions  of  grossness  and  licentiousness, 
which  the  publisher  insisted  on  having  removed.  As 
already  said,  no  reliance  can  be  placed  on  this  auto- 
biography as  a  narrative  of  the  facts  of  his  life,  except 
only  of  his  boyhood,  for,  as  Lord  Byron  said  of  Tre- 
lawny,  "he  could  not  speak  the  truth  even  if  he 
wished  to  do  so." 

When  the  book  appeared,  the  AthencEum  considered 
the  hero — Trelawny  himself — ''a  kind  of  ruffian  from 
his  birth,"  as  he  had  painted  himself,  leaving  out  the 
villainies  and  brutalities  of  which  he  had  been  guilty. 

He  was  thrice  married,  and  behaved  badly  to  all 
three  wives.  He  could  not  be  faithful  and  generous 
even  to  his  friends.  With  Byron  he  had  been  most 
intimate,  yet  when  Byron  died  he  wrote  to  Mary 
Shelley:  "It  is  well  for  his  name,  and  better  for 
Greece,  that  Byron  is  dead.  ...  I  now  feel  my  face 
burn  with  shame  that  so  weak  and  ignoble  a  soul  could 
so  long  have  influenced  me.  It  is  a  degrading  reflec- 
tion, and  ever  will  be.  I  wish  he  had  lived  a  little 
longer,  that  he  might  have  witnessed  how  I  would 
have  soared  above  him  here,  how  I  would  have 
triumphed  over  his  mean  spirit."  Trelawny  soaring  ! 
— as  a  vulture  only  in  quest  of  carrion. 

And  when,  in  1858,  he  published  his  Recollections  of 
Shelley  and  Byron,  thirty-four  years  after  the  death  of 
the  latter,  he  painted  Byron  in  the  harshest  colours  ; 
and  one  can  hardly  escape  feeling  that  this  was 
prompted  by  jealousy  of  the  esteem  in  which  the 
world    held    Byron  for  his  genius.     He  himself  pos- 


PIRATE    TRELAWNY  453 

sessed  all  the  bad  qualities  that  he  despised  in  Byron, 
but  did  not  recognize  in  himself  the  superadded 
brutality  which  Byron  was  too  much  a  gentleman  to 
show. 

Even  Mrs.  Shelley,  a  lifelong  friend  and  corre- 
spondent, to  whom  he  had  often  poured  out  his  heart, 
and  whom  he  had  contemplated  at  one  time  marry- 
ing, could  not  be  spoken  of  by  him  after  her  death  but 
in  disparagement  and  with  a  revelation  to  the  world  of 
her  little  weaknesses. 

He  was  in  England  again  in  1835,  went  into  society, 
and  married  for  the  third  time,  to  make  another  woman 
miserable.  For  a  number  of  years  he  lived  at  Putney 
Hill,  and  then  took  a  farm  at  Usk,  in  Monmouthshire, 
and  amused  himself  with  farming. 

In  or  about  1870,  Trelawny,  then  seventy-eight 
years  old,  bought  a  house  and  a  small  plot  of  land 
at  Sompting,  near  Wortham,  and  occupied  himself 
with  gardening.  One  day  two  men  with  guns  in  their 
hands  requested  permission  to  enter  his  grounds  after 
a  bird  that  had  taken  refuge  there.  He  answered 
fiercely,  "All  the  leave  I  will  accord  you  is  to  shoot 
one  another." 

At  Sompting,  Trelawny  died  on  August  13th,  1881, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  In  accordance  with  his  wish 
to  be  laid  beside  Shelley,  his  body  was  embalmed  in 
England,  cremated  at  Gotha,  and  the  ashes  taken  to 
the  Protestant  burial-ground  in  Rome,  and  laid  in  the 
tomb  he  had  bought  fifty-eight  years  before,  next  to 
those  of  his  friend. 

Trelawny  was  a  very  handsome  man,  tall  and  well 
built ;  he  had  flashing  dark  eyes  under  beetling  brows, 
and  an  aquiline  nose,  raven-black  hair,  and  a  dusky, 
Spanish  complexion.  He  spoke  very  loud.  He  re- 
tained his  good  looks  to  the  end  of  his  days. 


454  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

Shelley    described    him    in    Fragments    of  an    Un- 
finished Drama : — 

He  was  as  is  the  sun  in  his  fierce  youth, 
As  terrible  and  lovely  as  a  tempest. 

In  Millais'  painting  of  ''The  North- West  Passage," 
exhibited  in  the  Royal  Academy  in  1874,  the  old  sailor 
is  a  portrait  of  Captain  Trelawny  ;  and  it  has  been  con- 
jectured that  Thackeray  delineated  him  as  Captain 
Sumph  in  Pe7idenniSy  I,  cap.  35. 

The  authorities  for  Trelawny's  life  are,  beside  the 
first  part  of  his  Adventures  of  a  Younger  Son,  his 
Recollections  of  Shelley  and  Byron,  1858;  the  new  edition 
of  the  work,  published  in  1878,  was  called  Records  of 
Shelley,  Byron,  and  the  Author. 

Mr.  R.  Garnett  has  a  notice  of  the  life  of  Trelawny 
prefixed  to  the  edition  of  the  Adventures  of  a  Younger 
Son  of  1890.  A  lengthy  life  of  Trelawny  is  in  the 
Dictionary  of  National  Biography.  An  error  in  this 
is  pointed  out  by  Mr.  T.  C.  Down  in  the  article  on 
"Pirate  Trelawny"  already  referred  to  and  quoted 
from. 

A  pleasant  account  of  "  Mr.  Trelawny  and  his 
Friends "  appeared  in  the  Contemporary  Review  for 
1878. 

Something  further  about  him  may  be  gleaned  from 
Frances  A,  Kemble's  Records  of  a  Girlhood,  1878, 
m>  75>  308-12.  There  are  corrections  of  some  of 
Trelawny's  inaccuracies  in  D.  Guido  Biagi's  The  Last 
Days  of  Percy  Bysshe  Shelley,  1 898. 


JAMES  SILK  BUCKINGHAM 

MR.  S.  C.  HALL,  writing  after  the  death 
of  J.  S.  Buckingham,  thus  expressed  his 
opinion  of  this  truly  remarkable  man  : 
"  Whatever,  during  his  life,  envy, 
jealousy,  monopolous  interest  or  satirical  hostility 
may  have  said  to  the  contrary,  there  can  be  little 
doubt,  now  he  is  gone,  that  the  late  Mr.  James  Silk 
Buckingham  was  amongst  the  most  useful  as  well  as 
the  most  hopeful  and  industrious  men  of  his  time. 
His  career  was  one  remarkable  illustration  of  the  well- 
known  line  of  the  old  song,  '  It's  wonderful  what  we 
can  do  if  we  try ' ;  for  at  almost  every  step  he  took  he 
was  met  by  some  disaster  or  annoyance,  yet  kept 
pressing  on  with  the  most  dauntless  persistence, 
making  the  best  of  the  worst  circumstances,  and  even 
when  failing  in  his  own  personal  endeavours,  giving 
such  an  impulse  to  the  powers  of  others  in  whatever 
cause  or  course  he  had  engaged,  that  the  end  in  view 
was  generally  attained,  and  in  several  notable  instances 
within  the  period  of  his  own  life." 

The  Buckinghams  were  a  North  Devon  family,  and 
the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  notice  had  lived 
in  Barnstaple.  For  several  generations  they  had  been 
connected  with  the  sea.  Christopher  Buckingham 
settled  at  Flushing  on  a  small  farm,  along  with  his 
wife  Thomazine,  daughter  of  a  Hambley  of  Bodmin. 

James  Silk  describes  his  father  as  wearing  a  cocked 
hat,   long,   square-tailed  coat  with   large  pockets  and 

455 


456  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

sleeves,  square-toed  shoes  with  silver  buckles,  and  as 
walking  abroad  carrying  a  tall,  gold-headed  cane. 

James  Silk  was  born  at  Flushing  on  the  25th  August, 
1786.  He  had  two  brothers  and  a  sister.  His  father 
died  in  1794. 

"The  port  of  Falmouth,"  wrote  he  in  his  unfinished 
memoirs,  *'  being  nearest  to  the  entrance  of  the 
Channel,  there  were  permanently  stationed  here  two 
squadrons  of  frigates,  one  under  the  command  of  Sir 
Edward  Pellew  (afterwards  Lord  Exmouth),  the  other 
under  the  command  of  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren.  The 
former,  as  commodore,  hoisted  his  pennant  on  the 
Indefatigable,  the  latter  on  the  Revolutionaire.  Each 
squadron  consisted  of  five  frigates  of  thirty-two  and 
forty-four  guns  each  ;  and,  in  addition  to  these,  there 
were  continually  arriving  and  departing  from  Carrick 
Roads,  the  outer  anchorage  of  Falmouth,  line-of-battle 
ships  and  smaller  vessels  of  war  ;  while  the  prizes 
taken  from  the  French  were  constantly  brought  into 
the  port  for  adjudication  and  sale.  There  were  two 
large  prisons,  with  open  courts,  for  the  reception  of 
the  French  prisoners  thus  taken,  and  every  month 
added  many  to  their  inmates. 

"Both  the  naval  commodores,  as  well  as  such  captains 
of  the  frigates  belonging  to  the  squadrons  as  were 
married,  had  their  families  residing  at  Flushing,  and 
the  numerous  officers  of  different  grades,  from  the 
youngest  midshipman  to  the  first  lieutenant,  were  con- 
tinually coming  and  going  to  and  fro  .  .  .  so  that  the 
little  village  literally  sparkled  with  gold  epaulets  and 
gold-laced  hats  and  brilliant  uniforms." 

He  tells  a  curious  story  of  his  childhood.  Corn, 
owing  to  the  war,  had  mounted  to  famine  price,  and 
the  miners  of  Cornwall  went  about  in  gangs  waging 
war  against  all  forestallers,  regraters,  and  hoarders  of 


JAMES    SILK    liUCKlMlHAM 


JAMES   SILK   BUCKINGHAM  457 

grain,  and  demolishing  bakers'  shops,  mills,  and  grain 
stores. 

'*  A  body  of  some  three  or  four  hundred  of  these  men 
entered  Flushing,  and  as  they  were  all  dressed  in  the 
mud-stained  smock  frocks  and  trousers  in  which  they 
worked  underground,  all  armed  with  large  clubs  and 
sticks  of  various  kinds,  and  speaking  an  uncouth 
jargon,  which  none  but  themselves  could  understand, 
they  struck  terror  wherever  they  went.  Their  numbers 
were  quite  equal  to  the  whole  adult  male  population  of 
the  little  village,  so  that  the  men  stood  aghast,  the 
women  retired  into  their  houses,  and  closed  their  doors, 
and  the  children  seemed  struck  dumb  with  affright. 
The  moment  of  their  visit,  too,  was  most  inopportune, 
for  on  that  very  day  a  large  party  of  the  captains  and 
officers  of  the  packets  residing  at  Flushing  were  occu- 
pied in  storing  a  cargo  of  grain  that  had  just  been 
discharged  from  a  coasting  vessel  at  the  quay,  and 
locking  it  up  in  warehouses  to  secure  it  from  plunder." 

At  this  time  it  happened  that  all  the  ships  of  war 
were  absent  on  their  cruising  grounds.  The  situation 
was  dangerous,  and  the  men  threatened  an  attack  on 
the  warehouses,  and  were  muttering  and  brandishing 
their  clubs,  and  falling  into  ranks,  when  Captain 
Kempthorne  snatched  up  little  James  Silk,  then  an 
urchin  of  six  or  seven,  seated  him  on  a  sack  of  corn, 
and  bade  him  strike  up  a  hymn. 

With  his  shrill  little  pipe,  he  started — 

Salvation,  O  !  the  joyful  sound, 
'Tis  music  to  our  ears. 

Whereupon  at  once  the  mob  took  up  the  chant,  sang 
the  hymn,  with  their  strong  masculine  lungs;  the  clubs 
were  let  fall,  and,  the  hymn  ended,  they  dispersed 
harmlessly. 


458  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

James  Silk  went  to  sea  in  the  Lady  Harriet^  a  Govern- 
ment packet.  On  his  third  voyage  to  Lisbon  he  was 
captured  by  a  French  corvette  and  assigned  to  prison 
at  Corunna  ;  he  was  then  about  ten  years  old,  and  the 
gaoler's  daughter  of  the  same  age  fell  in  love  with  him, 
and  softened  the  rigour  of  his  captivity  by  bringing 
him  dainties  from  her  father's  table.  She  tried  to 
induce  the  boy  to  elope  with  her,  but  James  had  suffi- 
cient English  common  sense  not  to  accept  the  offer,  and 
finally  he  was  sent  to  Lisbon,  obliged  to  tramp  the 
whole  way,  several  hundred  miles,  barefooted,  and 
begging  food  and  a  lodging  on  his  way.  At  Lisbon  he 
was  taken  on  board  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  returned 
to  England,  where  his  mother  induced  him  to  leave  the 
sea,  and  provided  him  with  a  small  stationer's  and 
bookseller's  shop  on  the  Fish  Strand,  Falmouth.  His 
mother  died  in  1804,  and  when  James  Silk  was  aged 
only  nineteen  he  married  Elizabeth  Jennings,  a  farmer's 
daughter.  He  got  tired  of  being  a  shopkeeper  and 
volunteered  on  board  a  man-of-war ;  but  on  seeing  a 
seaman  flogged  round  the  fleet  for  mutiny,  was  so  dis- 
gusted with  the  sight  that  he  deserted,  and  started  a  book- 
shop at  Plymouth  Dock.  However  one  of  the  trustees 
of  his  wife's  inheritance  had  speculated  with  the  money 
in  smuggling  ventures  and  lost  all,  so  that  J.  S.  Buck- 
ingham became  bankrupt.  He  went  to  sea  again,  and 
was  appointed  chief  officer  on  board  the  Titus,  bound 
for  Trinidad,  Captain  Jennings,  perhaps  a  kinsman  of 
his  wife. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  became  commander  of 
a  vessel,  and  made  several  voyages  to  the  West  Indies 
and  in  the  Mediterranean.  In  these  latter  he  rapidly 
acquired  a  knowledge  of  and  even  fluency  in  speech  in 
French,  Italian,  Greek,  and  Arabic,  and  this  determined 
him   to   undertake   mercantile    life   at    Malta ;    but  the 


JAMES   SILK   BUCKINGHAM  459 

plague  having  broken  out  there  in  1818,  he  was  pre- 
vented from  landing,  and  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  at 
Smyrna,  but  was  unsuccessful.  He  then  went  to 
Alexandria,  and  thence  to  Cairo,  where  he  made  the 
acquaintance  and  gained  the  esteem  of  Mahomet  Ali, 
then  Pasha  of  Egypt. 

He  now  formed  the  scheme  of  connecting  the  Red 
Sea  with  the  Mediterranean  by  a  canal,  and  for  this 
purpose  surveyed  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  and  convinced 
himself  that  the  cutting  of  such  a  waterway  was  quite 
feasible,  and  that  such  a  connection  would  be  of  enor- 
mous advantage  to  English  trade  with  India.  He  laid 
his  plans  before  Mahomet  Ali.  *'No  sooner  had  the 
idea  of  renewing  the  ancient  commerce  between  India 
and  the  Mediterranean  by  way  of  the  Red  Sea  taken 
possession  of  my  mind,"  wrote  Buckingham,  ''than 
I  began  to  think  how  much  this  would  be  facilitated  by 
the  juncture  of  the  two  seas  by  a  navigable  canal ;  and 
I  bent  all  my  thoughts  to  the  object."  But  Mahomet 
Ali  would  not  hear  of  the  project.  He  shrewdly  asked, 
"  Whose  ships  would  mostly  use  the  canal?" 

"  The  English  vessels  assuredly." 

"Ah!  and  then  the  English  would  begin  to  think 
how  nice  it  would  be  to  have  Egypt  so  as  to  secure  the 
passage.  I  am  not  going  to  sharpen  the  knife  that 
would  cut  my  own  throat." 

The  Pasha  had  a  plan  of  his  own  ;  he  had  purchased 
two  beautiful  American  brigs  then  in  the  harbour  of 
Alexandria,  and  he  proposed  arming  them  and  sending 
them  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  into  the  Red  Sea, 
for  he  desired  to  open  up  a  trade  with  Egypt  from  India. 
But  Buckingham  pointed  out  to  him  that  he  could  not 
do  this  without  great  risk  of  losing  them,  as  the  East 
India  Company  had  supreme  command  of  all  the 
Indian  Ocean  eastward  of  the  Cape,  and  would  seize 


46o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

and  confiscate  all  vessels  found  in  those  seas  without 
their  licence,  French  and  Portuguese  vessels  alone 
excepted. 

James  S.  Buckingham  now  ascended  the  Nile  beyond 
the  cataracts  to  Nubia,  but  was  there  seized  with  ophthal- 
mic blindness.  To  add  to  his  distress,  on  his  way  to 
Kosseir  he  was  attacked  in  the  desert  by  a  band  of 
mutineers  of  the  army  of  the  Pasha,  who  plundered 
and  left  him  entirely  naked  on  the  barren  waste,  many 
miles  from  any  village,  food,  or  water  ;  and  even  when 
he  reached  Kosseir,  he  was  obliged  to  retrace  his  steps, 
as  the  vessel  which  should  have  conveyed  him  forward 
had  been  seized  by  the  mutineers. 

Buckingham  next  occupied  himself  with  an  endeavour 
to  master  the  hydrography  of  the  Red  Sea,  visiting 
every  part  in  the  costume  of  a  Bedouin  Arab. 

The  Pasha  now  proposed  to  him  that  he  should  go 
to  India  and  sound  the  merchants  there  as  to  establish- 
ing a  through  trade  to  Europe  by  the  Red  Sea,  and  a 
Company  of  Anglo-Egyptian  merchants  took  the  matter 
up  with  zest.  But  on  his  proceeding  to  Bombay  he 
found  that  the  proposition  was  coldly  received. 

Whilst  there,  in  May,  1815,  Buckingham  had  the  offer 
of  the  command  of  the  Hitmayoon  Shah,  a  vessel  built 
at  the  Portuguese  port  of  Damann,  north  of  Bombay,  by 
the  Imaum  of  Muscat,  for  trade  with  China.  The  retir- 
ing captain,  named  Richardson,  in  three  successive 
voyages  had  cleared  ;6^30,ooo,  and  the  situation  had 
been  sought  by  several  of  the  marine  officers  of  the  East 
India  Company.  When  these  disappointed  men  heard 
that  Buckingham  had  secured  the  appointment,  they 
were  angry,  and  applied  to  the  Company  to  eject  him 
from  India  and  close  every  port  there  in  their  power 
against  him.  This  they  did  by  refusing  him  a  licence 
to  remain  in  India. 


JAMES    SILK    BUCKINGHAM  461 

The  British  Government,  in  granting  a  charter  of 
exclusive  trade  to  India  and  China  to  the  East  India 
Company,  gave  that  Company  thereby  a  right  to 
expel  from  their  dominions  all  British-born  subjects 
who  had  not  their  licence  to  reside  there,  this  being 
deemed  necessary  to  protect  them  from  the  competition 
of  *'  interlopers  "  as  they  were  called,  who  might  under- 
sell them  in  their  own  markets.  But  though  the 
British  Government  might  thus  condemn  all  the  twenty 
million  of  its  own  native-born  subjects  to  this  state  of 
ignominious  dependence  on  the  will  or  caprice  of  a 
handful  of  monopolists,  a  body  of  some  twenty-four 
directors  only — in  whose  hands  lay  the  power  of  grant- 
ing licences  or  banishing  those  who  did  not  possess 
them — it  could  not  authorize  the  exercise  of  such  powers 
against  the  natives  of  any  foreign  state  ;  consequently 
James  Silk  Buckingham  was  advised  to  become 
nationalized  as  an  American  citizen,  in  which  case  the 
East  India  Company  would  be  powerless  to  expel 
him. 

In  point  of  fact,  the  case  stood  thus  :  all  foreign- 
ers who  had  no  natural  claim  on  India  as  a  part  of 
their  dominions  might  visit  it  freely  and  reside  and 
trade  in  it  as  long  as  they  pleased,  without  licence 
from  its  rulers  ;  whereas  British-born  subjects,  who  had 
contributed  by  their  payment  of  taxes  to  support  the 
very  Government  that  made  the  charter,  were  unjustly 
excluded,  although  the  conquest  of  India  had  been 
made  by  British  blood  and  British  treasure,  and  the 
country  was  still  held  under  the  British  flag.  In 
short,  all  foreigners  were  free  men  there,  and  the  free- 
born  Englishman  alone  was  a  slave. 

Buckingham  so  felt  the  iniquity  of  this  system  that 
later,  when  he  came  to  England,  he  agitated  and  wrote 
against  the  continuance  of  the  charter. 


462  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Buckingham  returned  to  Egypt  and  occupied  himself 
with  making  a  chart  of  the  Red  Sea.  But  the  Anglo- 
Egyptian  merchants,  not  relishing  their  defeat  by  the 
East  India  Company,  entered  into  a  compact  with 
Mahomet  Ali  to  send  Buckingham  to  India  as  his 
envoy  and  representative  ;  and  as  such  the  Company 
could  not  refuse  to  allow  him  to  reside  there.  Accord- 
ingly, habited  as  a  Mussulman,  turbaned  and  long- 
robed,  with  his  speakingeye,jovial  face,  and  dark,flowing 
beard,  he  looked  every  inch  of  him  a  true-born  Oriental, 
and  his  extraordinary  knowledge  of  various  languages 
stood  him  in  good  stead  as  he  made  his  way  overland 
to  India,  by  Palestine  and  Bagdad.  Proceeding  still 
on  his  course,  he  entered  Persia,  crossed  the  chain  of 
the  Zagros,  and  embarked  at  Bushir  in  a  man-of-war  of 
the  East  India  Company  that  was  bound  on  an  ex- 
pedition against  some  Wahabee  pirates  in  the  Persian 
Gulf,  and  going  ashore  at  Ras  el  Khyma,  acted  as  inter- 
preter to  Captain  Brydges,  Commander  of  the  Squadron, 
assisted  in  bombarding  the  town,  and  then  proceeded 
to  Bombay,  which  he  reached  after  a  journey  of  twelve 
months.  But  his  mission  was  again  unsuccessful  ; 
either  the  Bombay  merchants  had  no  confidence  in  the 
Egyptian  Government,  or  they  were  jealous  of  any 
interference  with  their  own  line  of  trade. 

Now,  however,  the  Company's  licence  reached  him, 
authorizing  him  to  remain  in  their  territories,  and  he 
regained  the  appointment  to  the  vessel  Humayoon 
Shahy  in  the  service  of  the  Imaum  of  Muscat,  and  he 
remained  navigating  the  Eastern  waters  till  Midsummer, 
1818,  when,  having  received  commands  from  the  Imaum 
to  proceed  to  the  coast  of  Zanzibar,  on  a  slaving  ex- 
pedition, he  threw  up  his  engagement,  worth  ;^4000 
per  annum,  rather  than  be  implicated  in  such  a  nefarious 
trade. 


JAMES    SILK    BUCKINGHAM  463 

Buckingham  next  became  proprietor  and  editor  of 
the  Calcutta  Mirror^  a  Liberal  paper,  that  instantly 
obtained  an  extensive  sale,  and  brought  in  to  its  founder 
a  net  profit  of  i^Sooo  a  year.  But  his  resolute  advocacy 
of  Free  Trade,  free  settlement,  and  free  Press,  and  an 
exposure  of  the  misdoings  of  the  East  India  Company, 
brought  down  on  him  the  heavy  hand  of  Mr.  John 
Adams,  the  temporary  Governor-General.  His  paper 
was  suppressed,  and  he  was  ordered  to  quit  Calcutta. 
His  little  fortune  was  sacrificed  in  a  vain  attempt  to 
fight  the  Governor  and  the  Company,  and  he  was 
thrown  back  on  the  world,  almost  as  poor,  save  in 
experience,  as  when  a  youth  he  trudged  from  Corunna 
to  Lisbon.  He  left  his  magnificent  library  at  Calcutta, 
in  the  hopes  of  being  able  to  return,  after  having 
obtained  redress  at  home.  But  the  redress  he  hoped 
for  never  came.  Too  many  interests  were  involved  to 
accord  it  to  him,  and  his  library,  like  his  fortune  and 
his  hopes,  was  wrecked. 

It  was  not  till  after  many  dreary  years,  that  the  East 
India  Company,  under  pressure  from  the  Government, 
could  be  induced,  as  an  indemnity  for  the  wrongs 
done  him,  to  accord  him  an  annuity  of  .^200,  in  addition 
to  one  of  the  like  amount  awarded  him  by  the  British 
Government,  "in  consideration  of  his  literary  works, 
and  useful  travels  in  various  countries,"  September  ist, 
1851.     "  Pompey  and  Ccesar  berry  much  alike." 

"  The  blow  to  him  at  Calcutta  was  altogether  a  very 
savage  one,"  says  Mr.  S.  C.  Hall,  "but,  like  all  in- 
justice, it  recoiled  at  length  on  those  who  gave  it. 
From  the  hour  that  Buckingham  was  driven  from  that 
city  (Calcutta),  the  power  of  the  great  Indian  monopoly, 
both  commercial  and  governmental,  was  doomed.  It 
was  by  no  means  his  case  alone  which  accomplished 
that   doom.      But   oppression   and   vindictiveness,    by 


464  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

driving  him  home,  made  him  for  a  time  the  repre- 
sentative there  of  voices  that  never  entirely  slept ; 
whilst  the  impolicy  that  had  aroused  them  was 
persevered  in  to  the  last — not  ceasing,  even  after  the 
trade  was  thrown  open,  but  at  length  provoking  that 
rebellion  which  was  followed  by  John  Company  finally 
having  to  make  an  assignment  of  his  whole  estate  and 
effects  to  John  Bull."  In  England  Buckingham  started 
the  Athenceiim,  a  literary  weekly,  but  did  not  long 
retain  it  in  his  hand  ;  he  was  not,  in  fact,  qualified  for 
its  editorship.  He  was  a  Liberal  politician  avant  tout, 
and  a  litterateur  only  in  a  second  or  third  place. 

In  1832,  the  Reform  Bill  was  passed,  and  the  same 
general  election  that  sent  Wm.  Cobbett  to  the  House 
of  Commons  for  Oldham,  sent  James  S.  Buckingham 
from  Sheffield,  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  giving  him 
the  best  standpoint  possible  from  which  to  assail  the 
East  Indian  monopoly.  That  Company  had  never 
made  a  more  fatal  mistake  than  when  it  persecuted  and 
drove  him  from  India.  Buckingham  was  a  theme  for 
caricature  in  Punch  from  1845- 1848. 

It  is  open  to  question  whether  the  East  India  Com- 
pany could  have  engaged  J.  S.  Buckingham's  services 
if,  instead  of  hounding  him  out  of  India,  they  had  en- 
deavoured to  secure  a  man  of  such  exceptional  ability 
and  intense  resolution  of  purpose  in  its  service.  In 
heart  and  soul  he  was  opposed  to  a  monopoly,  and  if 
he  had  been  engaged,  he  would  have  accepted  an  en- 
gagement only  for  the  purpose  of  remedying  some  of  the 
abuses  of  their  government,  and  rectifying  some  of  the 
injustices  done.  But  he  was  so  utterly  and  conscien- 
tiously opposed  to  the  whole  system,  that  it  is  more 
than  doubtful  whether  he  would  have  met  favourably 
any  overtures  made  to  him. 

In  England  an  excellent  conception  of  his,  which  he 


JAMES   SILK    BUCKINGHAM  465 

was  able  to  realize,  was  the  foundation  of  the  *'  British 
and  Foreign  Institute."  To  this  he  was  moved  by 
seeing  so  many  Orientals  and  others  adrift  in  London, 
without  any  centre  where  they  could  meet  and  com- 
municate their  ideas  with  statesmen  and  politicians  of 
Great  Britain,  and  where  they  might  gather  for  refresh- 
ment of  mind  and  body  alike.  The  Duke  of  Cam- 
bridge became  President,  and  the  Society  attracted  to 
its  soirees  the  literary  and  intellectual  of  all  lands. 

His  pen  and  his  voice  were  employed  for  some  years 
in  advocating  reforms. 

He  died  on  June  20th,  1855,  in  his  seventieth  year, 
and  his  wife  died  in  the  house  of  her  son-in-law,  Henry 
R.  Dewey,  22nd  January,  1865,  at  the  age  of  eighty. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  he  did  not  live  to 
complete  his  Memoirs.  He  had  two  sons — James,  who 
died  in  Jamaica,  1867,  and  Leicester  Forbes  Young 
Buckingham,  who  ran  away  with  an  actress,  Caroline 
Connor,  and  married  her  at  Gretna  Green,  5th  April, 
1844.  She  had  made  her  first  appearance  on  the 
London  stage  at  the  Haymarket  Theatre  in  1842. 
The  marriage  was  not  happy  and  they  separated,  she 
to  return  to  the  stage,  where  she  acted  under  the 
name  of  Mrs.  Buckingham  White.  He  died  at 
Margate  17th  July,    1867. 


2  H 


MARY  ANN   DAVENPORT,  ACTRESS 

MARY  ANN  HARVEY  was  born  in 
Launceston  in  1759,  and  was  educated  at 
Bath,  where  she  was  seized  with  a  pas- 
sion for  the  stage,  and  made  her  first 
appearance  on  the  boards  at  Bath  as  Lappet  in  The 
Miser  in   1779. 

She  remained  at  Bath  two  years,  and  during  her 
residence  there  is  thus  described  by  an  eye-witness  of 
her  performances:  "Miss  Harvey,  about  the  years 
1785  and  1786,  was  a  lively,  animated,  bustling  actress; 
arch,  and  of  exuberant  spirits.  Her  style  was  pointed 
and  energetic  ;  perhaps,  indeed,  she  had  less  ease  than 
was  altogether  the  thing  ;  but  when  she  had  to  speak 
satirically  or  in  irony — when,  in  fact,  she  had  to  con- 
vey one  idea  to  the  person  on  the  stage  with  her  and 
another  to  the  audience,  she  was  alone  and  inimit- 
able ;  she  did  not  carry  you  away  with  her  so  much  as 
many  young  actresses  that  I  have  seen,  but  she  always 
satisfied  you  more  amply.  Then  her  voice — what  a 
voice  hers  was !  Nay,  what  a  voice  she  has  still, 
though  it  has  had  a  pretty  fair  exercise  for  the  last  half 
century  and  upwards.  Then  it  had  all  the  clearness 
for  which  it  is  even  now  distinguishable  ;  and  it  had, 
besides,  a  witching  softness  of  tone  that  knew  no  equal 
then,  and  that  I  have  never  heard  exceeded  since." 

There  was  an  espiegle  charm  about  her  ;  she  was  not 
exactly  beautiful,  but  had  a  witchery  of  face  and  of 
manner  that  was  unsurpassed   by  any  of  her  fellow- 

466 


"/// 


■^.<J 


/ 


/ 


in  iJiiC  LUijaraiL'tci^  o\'  y\ ''.'''  Gx-'urioi)' 


MARY  ANN  DAVENPORT,  ACTRESS  467 

actresses,  who  may  have  possessed  more  regularity  of 
feature. 

She  was  not  baptized  at  Launceston,  S.  Mary  Mag- 
dalen. Harvey  was  a  common  name  at  the  time  in 
the  place  ;  a  Harvey  was  a  builder,  another  a  hat- 
maker,  another  a  carrier.  There  were  a  Joseph  Harvey 
and  Catherine  Penwarden  married  27th  January,  1756. 
These  may  have  been  her  parents. 

After  leaving  Bath,  Miss  Harvey  joined  the  Exeter 
company,  and  there  met  and  married  Mr.  Davenport, 
an  actor  of  ordinary  talent  and  low  comedy. 

After  she  had  been  married  a  short  while,  Mrs. 
Davenport  went  to  Birmingham,  where  she  remained 
a  considerable  time  in  hopes  of  obtaining  an  engage- 
ment. But  disappointed  in  this  expectation,  she  ac- 
cepted an  offer  from  Dublin,  where  Daly  had  opened 
his  theatre,  and  there  she  made  her  debut  as  Rosalind 
in  As  You  Like  It,  a  character  exactly  suited  to  her, 
and  in  which  she  aroused  great  enthusiasm.  Her 
graceful  figure,  her  voice,  now  full  of  tenderness,  then 
of  arch  humour,  and  her  expressive  face  admirably 
suited  the  part.  She  moreover  performed  the  part  of 
Fulmer  in  the  West  Indian.  The  Authentic  Memoirs  of 
the  Green  Room  for  1796  says:  "  Mrs.  Davenport  a  toler- 
able substitute  for  Mrs.  Webb,  though  not  near  so  great. 

The  Davenports,  tho'  not  of  play'rs  the  first, 
Are  far  from  being  in  old  folks  the  worst." 

In  1794  she  first  performed  at  Covent  Garden,  as 
Mrs.  Hardcastle,  in  She  Stoops  to  Conquer,  and  at 
that  theatre  she  continued  without  a  rival  till  1831,  and 
occasionally  filled  up  vacancies  at  the  Haymarket.  Mr. 
Davenport  died  in  1841  ;  by  him  she  had  a  son  and  a 
daughter.  The  former  died  in  India,  the  latter  in 
England. 


468  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Robson,  in  The  Old  Playgoer^  says  :  "Brunton  being 
the  tall  'walking  gentleman,'  there  is  no  one  else 
worth  mentioning  but  dear,  dear  Davenport,  most  truly 
not  least  though  last.  Lord  !  what  a  scream  she  would 
give  if  she  knew  I  was  about  to  show  her  up  !  I  can 
just  remember  Mrs.  Mattocks  and  Miss  Pope.  .  .  . 
But  Mrs.  Davenport  was  the  McTab,  the  Malaprop, 
the  Nurse  whose  bantling,  'stinted  and  cried  aye,'  with 
a  villainous  pain  in  her  back,  and  a  man  Peter  to  carry 
her  fan;  the  'old  mother  Brulgruddery ';  the  Dame 
Ashfield  with  a  '  damned  bunch  of  keys,'  who 
immortalized  '  What  will  Missus  Grundy  say  to 
that?'  and  would  persuade  a  gentleman  to  put  a 
ham  under  each  arm  and  a  turkey  into  his  pocket; 
Jeremy  Diddler's  beautiful  maid  at  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
who  '  blushed  like  a  red  cabbage  ' ;  heigho  !  all  visions — 
all  gone. 

"  It  was  said  of  Mrs.  Jordan  that  her  laugh  would  have 
made  the  fortune  of  any  actress  if  she  had  not  had  the 
wit  to  bring  out  one  word  to  support  it ;  but  Mrs.  Daven- 
port's strong  point  was  her  scream.  I  wonder  whether 
she  ever  indulged  her  husband  with  it  in  the  course 
of  a  curtain  lecture  !  Mercy  on  his  nerves  if  she  did  ! 
The  appearance  of  her  jolly  red  face  was  the  presage 
of  mirth,  and  her  scream  the  signal  for  a  roar  of 
laughter.  Good,  cheerful  soul  !  though  an  old  "woman 
forty  years,  she  outlived  nearly  all  her  play-fellows, 
comfortably,  happily,  I  hope."^ 

As  an  old  lady  her  most  celebrated  personifications 
were  the  Nurse  in  Romeo  and  Juliet^  at  which,  in  later 
times,  she  was  hardly  surpassed  by  Mrs.  Stirling. 

The  writer  of  the  memoir  in  the  Georgian  u^ra  says 
of  her:  "It  has  not  been  inaptly  said  of  her,  that  in 
the    vulgar  loquacity  of  the  would-be   youthful    Mrs. 

^  The  Old  Playgoer,  1854,  pp.  82-4. 


MARY  ANN  DAVENPORT,  ACTRESS  469 

Hardcastle — the  ugliness  of  the  antiquated  virgin,  Miss 
Durable — the  imbecility  of  four  score  in  Mrs.  Nicely 
— the  sturdy  brutality  of  Mrs.  Brulgruddery — the 
warm-hearted  cottager  in  Lovers'  Vows — the  attempted 
elegances  of  Mrs.  Dowlas — the  fiery  humoured  Dame 
Quickly — and  the  obtuse  intellect  of  Deborah,  she 
overcame  all  rivalry." 

In  the  edition  of  the  Authentic  Memoirs  of  the  Green 
Room  for  1806  it  is  said,  after  a  mention  of  Mr. 
Davenport:  "Wife  to  the  above,  and  of  primary 
utility  in  a  theatre  as  the  representative  of  low,  vulgar, 
and  antiquated  characters.  In  this  line  she  has  not 
her  superior  on  the  London  stage.  Her  Mrs.  Thorne 
in  the  Birthday^  Lady  Duberly  in  the  Heir  at  Law, 
Dame  Ashfield  in  Speed  the  Plough,  Widow  Warren 
in  The  Road  to  Ruin,  Widow  Cheshire  in  the  Agreeable 
Surprise,  Mrs.  Pickle  in  the  Spoiled  Child,  with  a  long 
and  diversified  list  of  parts  of  a  similar  description, 
deservedly  rated  high  in  the  scale  of  histrionic  excel- 
lence— and  what  greatly  enhances  her  value,  she  is  not 
less  to  be  prized  for  the  generality  than  for  the  inten- 
sive merit  of  her  performances.  Wide  and  extensive 
as  is  the  range  of  parts  which  she  sustains,  there  is  not 
a  single  character  in  the  whole  list  in  which  she  does 
not  acquit  herself  with  distinguished  talent  and  ability." 

This  bright  and  merry  actress  was  run  over  by  a 
dray  on  July  20th,  1841,  and  died  in  S.  Bartholomew's 
Hospital  on  May  8th,  1843,  after  a  lingering  illness,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four. 


THE    ROYAL    FAMILY    OF    PRUSSIA 

OVER  against  Mousehole,  across  the  great 
bay  of  Penzance,  is  Cudden  Point,  jutting 
out  into  the  sea,  forming  one  horn  of  a 
promontory  of  which  the  Enys  forms  the 
other,  looking  in  the  opposite  direction.  Between 
these  two  lie  three  little  coves,  that  of  the  Pixies,  too 
exposed  and  rocky  for  a  harbour,  but  with  its  sides 
riddled  with  caves. 

*'  Bessie's,  called  after  Bessie  Burrow,  who  kept  the 
Kidleywink  on  the  cliff,  which  was  the  great  resort  of 
the  smugglers,  bears  on  its  face  to-day  the  traces  of  its 
history.  A  spot  so  sheltered  and  secluded  that  it  is 
impossible  to  see  what  boats  are  in  the  little  harbour 
until  one  literally  leans  over  the  edge  of  the  cliff 
above  ;  a  harbour  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  and  a 
roadway  with  wheel  tracks  partly  cut  and  partly  worn, 
crossing  the  rocks  below  high-water  mark  ;  and,  climb- 
ing up  the  face  of  the  cliff  on  each  side  of  the  cove, 
caves  and  remains  of  caves  everywhere,  some  with 
their  mouths  built  up,  which  are  reputed  to  be  con- 
nected with  the  house  above  by  secret  passages. 
These  are  the  trade  marks  of  Bessie's  Cove,  and  the 
world  has  not  yet  known  the  degree  of  innocence 
which  could  believe  that  these  were  made  for  the  con- 
venience of  a  few  crabbers. 

''The  eastern  and  the  most  open  is  Prussia  Cove. 
Here   still    stands    to-day   the   house    in    which   John 

470 


o  § 

>  .^ 
o  -- 

u  a 


>  ? 


? 


THE    ROYAL   FAMILY   OF   PRUSSIA     471 

Carter,  'the  King  of  Prussia,'  lived  and  reigned  from 
1770  to  1807."^ 

Tlie  origin  of  the  Carter  family  is  obscure.  It  is 
supposed  to  have  come  from  Shropshire,  and  the  name 
is  not  Cornish.  But  what  could  have  brought  it  to 
this  wild  and  remote  spot  in  the  south-west  is  quite 
unknown.  The  father,  Francis  Carter,  was  born  in 
1712  and  died  in  1774,  and  his  wife,  Agnes,  died  in 
1784.  They  had  eight  softs  and  two  daughters.  The 
eldest  of  the  sons  was  John,  the  famous  Cornish  King 
of  Prussia.  He  obtained  this  nickname  in  the  follow- 
ing manner :  He  and  other  boys  were  playing  at 
soldiers,  and  the  renown  of  Frederick  the  Great 
having  reached  him,  John  dubbed  himself  the  King 
of  Prussia,  and  the  title  not  only  adhered  to  him 
through  life,  but  he  has  bequeathed  the  name  of 
Prussia  to  the  cove,  which  formerly  bore  that  of 
Porthleah. 

John  Carter,  when  he  grew  to  man's  estate,  made 
himself  fame  as  a  daring  smuggler,  and  he  was  ably 
seconded  by  his  brother  Henry,  who  contrived  to  his 
own  satisfaction  to  combine  perfervid  piety  with  cheat- 
ing the  customs. 

Smuggling  in  those  days  was  carried  on  upon  a 
large  scale,  in  cutters  and  luggers  armed  with  eighteen 
or  twenty  guns  apiece.  Harry  Carter,  in  his  auto- 
biography, says  :  "I  think  I  might  have  been  twenty- 
five  when  I  went  in  a  small  sloop  about  sixteen  or 
eighteen  tons,  with  two  men  besides  myself  as 
smugglers,  when  I  had  very  great  success,  and  after 
a  while  I  had  a  new  sloop  built  for  me,  about  thirty-two 
tons.  My  success  was  rather  beyond  common,  and 
after  a  time  we  bought  a  small  cutter  of  about  fifty 
tons,    and    about    ten    men."      The    measurements   at 

^  J.  B.  Cornish  in  the  Cornish  Magazine.,  1898,  p.  121. 


472  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

the  present  day  would  be  ten,  eighteen,  and  thirty 
tons. 

John  Carter  was  never  caught.  On  one  occasion 
the  revenue  officers  came  to  his  house  and  demanded 
to  ransack  his  sheds.  One  of  these  was  locked,  and 
he  refused  to  surrender  the  key,  whereupon  they  broke 
it  open,  but  found  that  it  contained  only  household 
articles.  As  they  were  unable  to  refasten  the  door, 
the  shed  remained  open  all  night,  and  by  morning 
everything  it  had  contained  had  disappeared.  The 
''King"  thereupon  sued  the  officers  for  all  his  goods 
that  had  been  taken  from  him.  It  is  perhaps  needless 
to  say  that  he  had  himself  conveyed  them  away.  The 
officers  had  to  refund  the  losses. 

On  one  occasion  when  John  Carter  was  absent  from 
home,  the  excise  officers  from  Penzance  came  to 
Prussia  Cove  in  their  boats  and  succeeded  in  securing 
a  cargo  lately  arrived  from  France.  They  carried  it 
to  Penzance  and  placed  it  under  lock  and  key  in  the 
custom-house.  Carter,  on  his  return,  heard  of  the 
capture.  He  was  highly  incensed,  for  the  brandy  had 
all  been  promised  to  some  of  the  gentry  round,  and 
he  was  not  the  man  to  receive  an  order  and  fail  to 
execute  it.  Accordingly,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  re- 
cover the  whole  cargo.  Assisted  by  his  mates,  in  the 
night  he  broke  into  the  custom-house  store  and  re- 
moved every  barrel  that  had  been  taken  from  him. 

Next  morning,  when  the  officers  saw  what  had  been 
done,  they  knew  who  the  perpetrator  was,  for  nothing 
had  been  touched  and  removed  but  what  the  "  King" 
claimed  as  his  own  ;  and  these  smugglers  prided  them- 
selves on  being  "all  honourable  men." 

The  most  famous  episode  in  John  Carter's  career  was 
his  firing  on  the  boat  of  the  revenue  cutter  The  Faery. 
A    smuggling    vessel,    hard    pressed,    ran    through    a 


II 


THE    ROYAL   FAMILY   OF   PRUSSIA     473 

narrow  channel  among  the  rocks  between  the  Enys  and 
the  shore.  The  cutter,  not  daring  to  venture  nearer, 
sent  her  boat  in  ;  whereupon  Carter  opened  fire  upon 
her  from  an  improvised  battery  in  which  he  had 
mounted  several  small  cannon.  The  boat  had  to  with- 
draw. Next  morning  the  fight  was  resumed.  The  Faery 
opening  fire  from  the  sea.  But  in  the  meantime 
mounted  soldiers  from  Penzance  had  arrived,  and  these 
fired  from  the  top  of  the  hill  upon  those  working  the 
guns  in  the  battery,  taking  them  in  the  rear.  This  was 
more  than  the  smugglers  could  stand,  and  they 
retreated  to  Bessie  Burrow's  house,  and  were  not 
further  molested,  the  soldiers  contenting  themselves 
with  remounting  their  horses  and  riding  back  to  Pen- 
zance. Unfortunately,  with  regard  to  John  Carter,  the 
*'  King  of  Prussia,"  we  have  but  scattered  notices  and 
tradition  to  rely  upon  ;  but  it  is  otherwise  with  his 
brother  Henry,  who  has  left  an  autobiography  that 
has  been  transcribed  and  published  by  Mr.  J.  B. 
Cornish  under  the  title  The  AtUobiography  of  a  Cornish 
Smuggler,  London  (Gibbons  and  Co.),  1900. 

But  Harry  Carter  is  somewhat  reticent  about  the 
doings  of  the  smugglers,  and  avoids  giving  names,  for 
when  he  wrote  "free  trade"  was  in  full  swing.  He 
wrote  in  1809,  when  John  his  brother  and  the  "Cove 
boys  "  were  still  at  it,  and  Prussia  Cove  had  not  ceased 
to  be  a  great  centre  of  smugglers.  He  is  much  more 
concerned  to  record  his  religious  experiences,  all  of 
which  we  could  well  spare  for  fuller  details  of  the 
goings-on  of  his  brothers  and  their  comrades. 

In  1778  an  embargo  was  laid  on  all  English  trade, 
when  the  French  Government  made  a  treaty  with  the 
States  of  America,  and  not  knowing  of  this,  Henry 
Carter  was  arrested  at  S.  Malo,  and  his  cutter,  with 
sixteen  guns  and  thirty-six  men,  taken  from  him.     He 


474  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

was  sent  to  the  prison  at  Dinan  ;  and  in  like  manner 
his  brother  John  was  taken,  and  they  were  allowed  to 
remain  on  parole  at  Josselin  till  the  November  of  1779, 
when  they  were  exchanged  by  order  of  the  Lords  of 
the  Admiralty  for  two  French  gentlemen.  "So,  after 
I  was  at  home  some  time,  riding  about  the  country 
getting  freights,  collecting  money  for  the  company, 
etc.,  we  bought  a  cutter  about  160  tons  (50  tons),  nine- 
teen guns.  I  went  in  her  some  time  smuggling.  I 
had  great  success." 

In  January,  1788,  he  went  with  a  freight  to  Cawsand 
in  a  lugger  of  45  tons  in  modern  measurement,  and 
mounting  sixteen  carriage  guns.  But  he  was  boarded, 
and  so  cut  about  the  head,  and  his  nose  nearly  severed 
in  two,  that  he  fell  bleeding  on  the  deck. 

"  I  suppose  I  might  have  been  there  about  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  until  they  had  secured  my  people  below, 
and  after  found  me  lying  on  the  deck.  One  of  them 
said,  '  Here  is  one  of  the  poor  fellows  dead.'  Another 
made  answer,  'Put  the  man  below.'  He  answered 
again,  'What  use  is  it  to  put  a  dead  man  below?'  and 
so  passed  on.  So  I  laid  there  very  quiet  for  near  the 
space  of  two  hours,  hearing  their  discourse  as  they 
walked  by  me,  the  night  being  very  dark  on  the  30th 
January,  1788.  The  commanding  officer  gave  orders 
for  a  lantern  to  be  brought,  so  they  took  up  one  of  my 
legs  as  I  was  lying  upon  my  belly  ;  he  let  it  go,  and 
it  fell  as  dead  down  on  the  deck.  He  likewise  put  his 
hand  up  under  my  clothes,  between  my  shirt  and  my 
skin,  and  then  examined  my  head,  and  so  concluded, 
saying,  '  The  man  is  so  warm  now  as  he  was  two  hours 
back,  but  his  head  is  all  to  atoms.'  The  water  being 
ebbing,  the  vessel  (that  was  grounded)  making  a  great 
heel  to  the  shore,  so  that  in  the  course  of  a  very  little 
time  after,  as  their  two  boats  was  made  fast  alongside. 


THE    ROYAL   FAMILY   OF   PRUSSIA     475 

one  of  them  broke  adrift.  Immediately  there  was 
orders  given  to  man  the  other  boat  in  order  to  fetch 
her,  so  that  when  I  saw  them  in  this  state  of  confusion, 
their  guard  broken,  I  thought  it  was  my  time  to  make 
my  escape,  so  I  crept  on  my  belly  on  the  deck,  and  got 
over  a  large  raft  just  before  the  mainmast,  close  by 
one  of  the  men's  heels,  as  he  was  standing  there  hand- 
ing the  trysail.  When  I  got  over  the  lee -side  I 
thought  I  should  be  able  to  swim  on  shore  in  a  stroke 
or  two.  I  took  hold  of  the  burtons  of  the  mast,  and 
as  I  was  lifting  myself  over  the  side  I  was  taken  with 
the  cramp  in  one  of  my  thighs.  So  then  I  thought 
I  should  be  drowned,  but  still  willing  to  risk  it,  so  that 
I  let  myself  over  the  side  very  easily  by  a  rope  into  the 
water.  As  I  was  very  near  the  shore,  I  thought  to 
swim  on  shore  in  the  course  of  a  stroke  or  two,  but 
soon  found  my  mistake.  I  was  sinking  almost  like  a 
stone,  and  hauling  astern  in  deeper  water,  when  I 
gave  up  all  hopes  of  life  and  began  to  swallow  some 
water.  I  found  a  rope  under  my  breast,  so  that  I  had 
not  lost  my  senses.  I  hauled  upon  it,  and  soon  found 
one  end  fast  to  the  side  just  where  I  went  overboard, 
which  gave  me  a  little  hope  of  life.  So  that  when  I 
got  there,  I  could  not  tell  which  was  best,  to  call  to  the 
man-of-war's  men  to  take  me  in,  or  to  stay  there  and 
die,  for  my  life  and  strength  were  almost  exhausted. 
But  whilst  I  was  thinking  of  this,  touched  bottom  with 
my  feet.  Hope  then  sprang  up,  and  I  soon  found 
another  rope,  leading  towards  the  head  of  the  vessel  in 
shoaler  water,  so  that  I  veered  upon  one  and  hauled 
upon  the  other,  that  brought  me  under  the  bowsprit, 
and  then  at  times  upon  the  send  of  a  sea,  my  feet  were 
almost  dry.  I  let  go  the  rope,  but  as  soon  as  I 
attempted  to  run  fell  down,  and  as  I  fell,  looking  round 
about  me,  I  saw  three  men  standing  close  by.     I  knew 


476  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

they  were  the  man-of-war's  men  seeking  for  the  boat, 
so  I  lay  there  quiet  for  some  little  time,  and  then  crept 
upon  my  belly  I  suppose  about  the  distance  of  fifty 
yards,  and  as  the  ground  was  scuddy,  some  flat  rock 
mixed  with  channels  of  sand,  I  saw  before  me  a  channel 
of  white  sand,  and  for  fear  to  be  seen  creeping  over 
it,  which  would  take  some  time,  not  knowing  there  was 
anything  the  matter  with  me,  made  the  second  attempt 
to  run,  and  fell  in  the  same  manner  as  before. 

''My  brother  Charles  being  there,  looking  out  /or 
the  vessel,  desired  some  Cawsand  men  to  go  down 
to  see  if  they  could  pick  up  any  of  the  men  dead  or 
alive,  not  expecting  ever  to  see  me  any  more,  almost 
sure  I  was  either  shot  or  drowned.  One  of  them  saw 
me  fall,  ran  to  my  assistance,  and  taking  hold  of  me 
under  the  arm,  says,  '  Who  are  you?'  So,  as  I  thought 
him  to  be  an  enemy,  made  no  answer.  He  said,  '  Fear 
not;  I  am  a  friend.  Come  with  me.'  And  by  that 
time  Avere  come  two  more,  which  took  me  under  both 
arms,  and  the  other  pushed  me  in  the  back,  and  so 
dragged  me  up  to  the  town.  My  strength  was  almost 
exhausted.  They  took  me  into  a  room  where  were 
seven  or  eight  Cawsand  men  and  my  brother  Charles, 
and  when  he  saw  me  he  knew  me  by  my  great  coat, 
and  cried  with  joy.  So  then  they  immediately  stripped 
off  my  wet  clothes,  and  sent  for  a  doctor  and  put  me 
to  bed.  The  bone  of  my  nose  was  cut  right  in  two, 
nothing  but  a  bit  of  skin  holding  it,  and  two  very  large 
cuts  in  my  head,  that  two  or  three  pieces  of  my  skull 
worked  out  of  afterwards." 

He  was  now  hurried  off  in  a  chaise  to  his  brother 
Charles'  house,  where  he  remained  for  a  week.  Then 
as  a  reward  of  three  hundred  pounds  was  offered  for  his 
apprehension,  he  was  conveyed  to  a  gentleman's 
house  in  Marazion,  where  he  remained  concealed  for 


THE    ROYAL    FAMILY   OF    PRUSSIA     477 

two  or  three  weeks,  and  thence  was  taken  to  Acton 
House,  belonging  to  Mr.  John  Stackhouse,  but  only 
for  a  while,  and  shifted  back  to  Marazion.  Then 
again  to  the  castle.  The  surgeon  who  was  called  in 
to  attend  him  was  blindfolded  by  the  men  sent  to  fetch 
him  and  conducted  to  the  hiding-place  of  Henry 
Carter. 

In  October  he  sailed  for  Leghorn,  then  on  the  same 
vessel  loaded  at  Barcelona  with  brandy  for  New  York. 
It  was  no  longer  safe  for  him  to  remain  in  England 
till  the  affair  was  blown  over,  and  he  did  not  return 
till  October  in  the  year  1790,  and  was  soon  again 
engaged  in  alternate  preaching  in  Methodist  chapels, 
and  in  smuggling  brandy  from  Roscoff.  On  one  of 
these  excursions  in  1793  he  was  arrested  at  Roscoff,  as 
war  had  been  declared  between  France  and  England. 
This  was  during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  at  a  time  when 
the  Convention  had  decreed  that  no  quarter  should  be 
given  to  an  Englishman,  and  an  English  prisoner  was 
placed  on  the  same  footing  as  a  "suspect"  or  *' aristo- 
crat," and  stood  a  great  chance  of  losing  his  head 
under  the  knife.  He  does  not,  however,  seem  to  have 
been  harshly  treated,  only  moved  about  from  place  to 
place,  sometimes  in  a  prison,  at  others  lodged  in  a 
private  house  ;  a  good  many  of  his  French  fellow- 
prisoners,  however,  suffered  death.  In  his  own  words 
and  spelling:  "There  was  numbers  of  gent  and 
lades  taken  away  to  Brest  that  I  parssially  know,  and 
their  heads  chopt  off  with  the  gulenteen  with  a  very 
little  notice." 

Robespierre  was  executed  on  28th  July,  1794;  and 
soon  after  his  death  the  Convention  decreed  the  release 
of  great  numbers  of  "suspects"  and  other  prisoners. 
It  was  not,  however,  till  August,  1795,  that  Henry 
Carter  got  his  passport  and  was  able  to  leave.      He 


478  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

arrived  at  Falmouth  on  August  22nd.  '*  Arived  on 
shore  aboute  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  with  much 
fear  and  trembling,  where  I  meet  with  my  dear  little 
(daughter)  Bettsy,  there  staying  with  her  aunt,  Mrs. 
Smythe,  then  between  8  and  9  years  old.  .  .  . 
I  staid  that  night  at  Falmouth,  the  next  morning  went 
to  Penryn  with  my  dear  little  Bettsey  in  my  hand.  The 
next  morning,  on  Sunday,  took  a  horse  and  arrived  at 
Breage  Churchtown  aboute  eleven  o'clock,  where  I 
meet  my  dear  brother  Frank,  then  in  his  way  to  church. 
As  I  first  took  him  in  surprise,  at  first  I  could  harly 
make  him  sensable  I  was  his  brother,  being  nearley  two 
years  without  hearing  whether  I  was  dead  or  alife. 
But  when  he  come  to  himself  as  it  were,  we  rejoiced  to- 
gether with  exceeding  great  joy  indeed.  We  went  to 
his  house  in  Rinsey,  and  after  dinner  went  to  see 
brother  John  (in  Prussia  Cove).  We  sent  him  word 
before  I  was  coming.  But  he  could  harly  believe  it. 
But  first  looking  out  with  his  glass  saw  me  yet  a  long 
way  off.  Ran  to  meet  me,  fell  upon  my  neck.  We 
passed  the  afternoon  with  him,  and  in  the  evning  went 
to  Keneggy  to  see  brother  Charles." 

The  autobiography  ends  abruptly  in  the  year  1795, 
but  the  writer  lived  on  until  April  19th,  1829,  spending 
the  last  thirty  years  of  his  life  on  a  little  farm  at 
Rinsey. 

In  addition  to  the  two  authorities  quoted,  both  due  to 
Mr.  Cornish,  there  is  a  memoir  of  Henry  Carter  in  the 
Wesley  an  Methodist  Magazine  for  October,  1831. 


CAPTAIN    RICHARD    KEIGWIN 

THE  English  East  India  Company  had  been 
founded  December  31st,  1600,  and  it  ob- 
tained from  Queen  Elizabeth  the  exclusive 
privilege  for  fifteen  years  of  trading  with 
India  and  all  countries  to  the  east  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  in  Africa  and  in  Asia.  The  first  settlement 
effected  was  at  Surat  in  161 2,  by  Captain  Thomas 
Best,  who  defeated  the  Portuguese  in  two  battles.  But 
through  the  jealousy  of  the  Dutch  and  their  encroach- 
ments, and  the  disturbances  in  England  caused  by  the 
Great  Rebellion,  the  East  India  Company  fell  to  decay. 
Although  Cromwell  in  1657  renewed  its  privileges,  the 
English  made  little  headway.  On  April  3rd,  1661, 
Charles  II  confirmed  and  renewed  all  the  ancient 
privileges,  and  handed  over  to  the  Company  Bombay, 
which  he  had  received  from  Spain  as  the  portion  of 
Catherine  of  Braganza. 

Dr.  Fryer,  a  surgeon  in  the  service  of  the  Company, 
travelled  in  India  between  1673  and  1681,  and  has  left 
some  graphic  descriptions  of  it.  He  sailed  from 
Madras  to  Bombay,  passing  up  the  Malabar  coast,  and 
noting  how  that  the  Dutch  were  elbowing  the  Portu- 
guese out  of  their  posts.  At  last  he  entered  the  har- 
bour of  Bombay,  so  called  from  its  Portuguese  name 
Bona-baija.  He  found  there  a  Government  House,  with 
pleasant  gardens,  terraces,  and  bowers  ;  but  the  place 
had  been  meanly  fortified,  and  the  Malabar  pirates 
often  plundered  the  native  villages  and  carried  off  the 

479 


48o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

inhabitants  as  slaves.  However,  the  Company  took 
the  place  vigorously  in  hand,  loaded  the  terraces  with 
cannon,  and  built  ramparts  over  the  bowers.  When 
Fryer  landed,  Bombay  Castle  was  mounted  with  a 
hundred  and  twenty  pieces  of  ordnance,  whilst  sixty 
field-pieces  were  kept  in  readiness.  The  Dutch  had 
made  an  attempt  to  capture  Bombay,  but  had  been 
repulsed. 

Bombay  itself  was  an  island,  with  a  superb  land- 
locked harbour,  but  it  had  at  its  back  the  great  and 
powerful  kingdom  of  the  Mahrattas. 

But  the  vast  expense  of  placing  Bombay  in  a  posi- 
tion of  defence  had  been  so  inadequately  met  by  the 
revenue  derived  from  it,  that  the  Company  was  dis- 
satisfied with  its  acquisition,  and  being,  moreover, 
burdened  with  debt,  it  had  recourse  to  the  unhappy 
expedient  of  raising  the  taxation  and  reducing  the 
officers'  pay.  It  was  ordered  that  the  annual  expenses 
of  the  island  should  be  limited  to  i^yooo  ;  the  military 
establishment  was  to  be  reduced  to  two  lieutenants,  two 
ensigns,  four  sergeants,  as  many  corporals  and  io8 
privates.  A  troop  of  horse  was  to  be  disbanded,  and 
Keigwin,  the  commandant,  was  dismissed.  This  was 
in  1678-9. 

Richard  Keigwin  was  the  third  son  of  Richard 
Keigwin,  of  Penzance,  and  of  his  wife  Margaret, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  Godolphin,  of  Trewarveneth. 
The  family  was  ancient  and  honourable.  His  great- 
grandfather, Jenkin  Keigwin,  had  been  killed  by  the 
Spaniards  in  1595.  Richard  entered  the  Royal  Navy, 
became  a  captain  and  then  colonel  of  Marines,  and 
was  appointed  Governor  of  S.  Helena,  then  a  posses- 
sion of  the  East  India  Company,  by  grant  of  Charles  II. 
After  that  he  was  transferred  to  Bombay,  and  had  the 
commandantship  there. 


CAPTAIN   RICHARD   KEIGWIN         481 

He  was  highly  offended  at  being  thrust  out  of  his 
position,  and  he,  moreover,  knew  that  Bombay  was 
menaced  by  both  the  Sambhajee  and  the  Siddee,  both 
of  whom  were  desirous  of  gaining  a  footing  on  the 
island,  and  each  was  jealous  lest  the  other  should 
anticipate  him  in  its  acquisition. 

In  order  that  he  might  represent  the  danger  that 
menaced  of  losing  Bombay  Captain  Keigwin  re- 
solved on  reporting  in  person  to  the  Company 
how  matters  stood,  and  he  accordingly  went  to  the 
directors  and  laid  the  case  before  them  with  such 
force  that  they  consented  to  send  him  back  to  Bombay 
with  the  rank  of  captain-lieutenant,  and  he  was  to  be 
third  in  the  Council.  But  with  singular  capriciousness, 
in  the  following  year,  when  Keigwin  was  at  Bombay, 
they  rescinded  the  order,  reduced  his  pay  to  six  shill- 
ings a  day,  without  allowance  for  food  and  lodging, 
and  made  further  reductions  in  the  general  pay  and 
increase  in  the  taxes.  This  embittered  the  garrison 
and  the  natives  alike. ^ 

'<  During  the  greater  part  of  the  reign  of  Charles  the 
Second,"  says  Macaulay,  ''the  Company  enjoyed  a  pros- 
perity to  which  the  history  of  trade  scarcely  furnishes  a 
parallel,  and  which  excited  the  wonder,  the  cupidity, 
and  the  envious  animosity  of  the  whole  capital.  Wealth 
and  luxury  were  then  rapidly  increasing,  the  taste  for 
spices,  the  tissues  and  the  jewels  of  the  East,  became 
stronger  day  by  day  ;  tea,  which  at  the  time  when  Monk 
brought  the  army  of  Scotland  to  London  had  been 
handed  round  to  be  stared  at  and  just  touched  with  the 

1  The  Company  levied  a  duty  of  half  a  dollar  upon  all  ships  anchor- 
ing in  the  harbour,  one  rupee  a  year  on  each  fishing-boat,  and  the  same 
on  every  ship.  Lastly,  with  what  seems  unparalleled  meanness,  they 
ordered  that  only  half  of  the  native  labourers'  wages  should  be  paid  in 
coin,  the  other  half  in  rice  valued  "at  the  Company's  price,"  which 
would  give  ten  per  cent  clear  profit  after  all  expenses  had  been  defrayed. 
2   I 


482  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

lips,  as  a  great  rarity  from  China,  was,  eight  years 
later,  a  regular  article  of  import,  and  was  soon  con- 
sumed in  such  quantities  that  financiers  began  to 
consider  it  as  a  fit  subject  for  taxation."  Coffee,  more- 
over, had  become  a  fashionable  drink,  and  the  coffee- 
houses of  London  were  the  resorts  of  every  description 
of  club.  But  coffee  came  from  Mocha,  and  the  East 
India  Company  had  sole  right  to  import  that,  as  it 
had  absolute  monopoly  of  the  trade  of  the  Indian  Sea. 

Nor  was  that  all ;  vast  quantities  of  saltpetre  were 
imported  into  England  from  the  East  for  the  manu- 
facture of  gunpowder.  But  for  this  supply  our 
muskets  and  cannon  would  have  been  speechless.  It 
was  reckoned  that  all  Europe  would  hardly  produce  in 
one  year  saltpetre  sufficient  for  the  siege  of  one  town 
fortified  on  the  principles  of  Vauban. 

The  gains  of  the  Company  were  enormous,  so  enor- 
mous as  in  no  way  to  justify  the  cheeseparing  that  was 
had  recourse  to  at  Bombay.  But  these  gains  were  not 
distributed  among  a  large  number  of  shareholders,  but 
swelled  the  pockets  of  a  few,  for  as  the  profits  increased 
the  number  of  holders  of  stock  diminished. 

The  man  who  obtained  complete  control  over  the 
affairs  of  the  Company  was  Sir  Josiah  Child,  who  had 
risen  from  an  apprentice  who  swept  out  one  of  the 
counting-houses  in  the  City  to  great  wealth  and  power. 
His  brother  John  was  given  an  almost  uncontrolled 
hand  at  Surat. 

The  Company  had  been  popularly  considered  as  a 
Whig  body.  Among  the  members  of  the  directing 
committee  had  been  found  some  of  the  most  vehement 
exclusionists  in  the  City,  that  is  to  say,  those  who  had 
voted  for  the  exclusion  of  James,  Duke  of  York,  from 
any  claim  to  the  crown  of  England  on  the  decease  of 
Charles  II.     This  was  an  affront  James  was  not  likely 


CAPTAIN    RICHARD    KEIGWIN  483 

to  forget  and  forgive.  Indeed  two  of  them,  Sir  Samuel 
Barnardiston  and  Thomas  Papillon,  drew  on  them- 
selves a  severe  persecution  by  their  zeal  against 
Popery  and  arbitrary  power. 

The  wonderful  prosperity  of  the  Company  had  ex- 
cited, as  already  intimated,  the  envy  of  the  merchants 
in  London  and  Bristol  ;  moreover,  the  people  suffered 
from  the  monopoly  being  in  the  hands  of  a  few  stock- 
holders, who  controlled  the  market.  The  Company 
was  fiercely  attacked  from  without  at  the  same  time 
that  it  was  distracted  by  internal  dissensions. 

Captain  Keigwin  now  called  upon  the  inhabitants  of 
Bombay  to  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Crown, 
and  to  renounce  the  Company  and  submission  to  its 
commands.  With  this  the  whole  of  the  garrison, 
militia  and  inhabitants,  complied  ;  the  troops  from 
expectation  of  relief  from  the  grievances  of  which 
they  had  complained,  and  the  inhabitants  from  antici- 
pating relief  from  taxation. 

Captain  Keigwin  and  his  associates  then  addressed  a 
letter  to  His  Majesty  and  to  the  Duke  of  York,  express- 
ing their  determination  to  maintain  the  island  for  the 
King  till  his  pleasure  should  be  known,  and  enumer- 
ating the  causes  which  had  impelled  them  to  revolt — the 
principal  being  to  prevent  Bombay  from  being  seized 
by  the  Siddee,  or  Admiral  of  the  Mogul,  who  with  a 
numerous  fleet  was  lying  near,  or  else  by  the  Samb- 
hajee,  the  Mahratta  rajah,  who  was  watching  his  oppor- 
tunity to  descend  on  Bombay  and  annex  it. 

Captain  Keigwin  and  the  conspirators  next  repre- 
sented to  the  Court  of  Committee  that  the  selfish 
scheme  of  Josiah  Child  in  England,  and  of  his  brother 
John  Child  of  Surat,  had  been  at  the  bottom  of  the 
whole  mischief  which  caused  the  disaffection,  and 
added    that    both   the   garrison   and   inhabitants  were 


484  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

determined  to  continue  in  allegiance  to  the  Crown 
alone  till  the  King's  pleasure  should  be  made  known 
to  them. 

But  Keigwin  was  no  match  for  the  subtle  and  un- 
principled Sir  Josiah  Child  and  his  brother  John. 
Josiah  had  been  originally  brought  into  the  direction 
of  the  Company  by  Barnardiston  and  Papillon,  and  was 
supposed,  and  he  allowed  it  to  be  supposed,  that  he 
was  as  ardent  a  Whig  as  were  they.  He  had  for  years 
stood  high  in  the  opinion  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Parlia- 
mentary opposition,  and  had  been  especially  obnoxious 
to  the  Duke  of  York. 

There  had  for  some  time  been  interference  with  the 
monopoly  by  what  were  called  "interlopers"  or  free 
traders,  to  the  great  vexation  of  the  Company.  These 
interlopers  now  determined  to  affect  the  character  of 
loyal  men,  who  were  determined  to  stand  by  the  Crown 
against  the  insolent  Whigs  of  the  Company.  ''They 
spread  at  all  the  factories  in  the  East  reports  that 
England  was  in  confusion,  that  the  sword  had  been 
drawn  or  would  immediately  be  drawn,  and  that  the 
Company  was  forward  in  the  rebellion  against  the 
Crown.  These  rumours,  which  in  truth  were  not  im- 
probable, easily  found  credit  among  people  separated 
from  London  by  what  was  then  a  voyage  of  twelve 
months.  Some  servants  of  the  Company  who  were  in 
ill  humour  with  their  employers,  and  others  who  were 
zealous  Royalists,  joined  the  primitive  traders." 

On  December  27th,  1683,  Captain  Keigwin,  assisted 
by  Ensign  Thornburn  and  others,  seized  on  Mr.  Ward, 
the  deputy  governor,  and  such  members  of  the  Council 
as  adhered  to  him,  assembled  the  troops  and  the 
militia,  pronounced  the  authority  of  the  East  India 
Company  as  at  an  end  by  formal  proclamation,  and 
declared  the  island  to  be  placed  under  the  King's  im- 


CAPTAIN    RICHARD   KEIGWIN         485 

mediate  protection.  Thereupon  the  garrison,  consist- 
ing of  one  hundred  and  fifty  English  soldiers  and  two 
hundred  native  topasses,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
island,  elected  Keigwin  to  be  governor,  and  appointed 
officers  to  the  different  companies,  store-keepers,  har- 
bour-masters, etc.,  declaring,  however,  that  the  Com- 
pany might,  if  their  servants  would  acknowledge  the 
King's  government  as  proclaimed,  proceed  in  their 
several  avocations  without  molestation.  Keigwin  then 
took  possession  of  the  Company's  ship  Return  and  the 
frigate  Huntley,  and  landed  the  treasure,  amounting  to 
fifty  or  sixty  thousand  rupees,  which  he  lodged  in  the 
fort,  and  he  published  a  declaration  that  it  should  be 
employed  solely  in  the  defence  of  the  King's  island  and 
government. 

But  Child  looked  ahead,  and  saw  that  inevitably 
James,  Duke  of  York,  at  no  very  distant  period  would 
be  King  of  England.  The  Whigs  were  cowed  by  the 
discovery  of  the  Rye  House  Plot,  and  the  execution  of 
Lord  Russell  and  Algernon  Sidney.  It  was  high  time 
for  Child  to  turn  his  coat,  and  this  he  did  rapidly  and 
with  dexterity.  He  forced  his  two  patrons,  Barnardis- 
ton  and  Papillon,  out  of  the  Company,  filled  their 
places  with  creatures  of  his  own,  and  established  him- 
self as  autocrat.  Then  he  made  overtures  to  the 
Court,  to  the  King,  and  to  the  Duke  of  York,  and  he 
soon  became  a  favourite  at  Whitehall,  and  the  favour 
which  he  enjoyed  at  Whitehall  confirmed  his  power  at 
the  India  House.  He  made  a  present  of  ten  thousand 
pounds  to  Charles,  and  another  ten  thousand  pounds 
to  James,  who  readily  consented  to  become  a  holder  of 
stock.  "All  who  could  help  or  hurt  at  Court,"  says 
Macaulay,  "ministers,  mistresses,  priests,  were  kept  in 
good  humour  by  presents  of  shawls  and  silks,  birds' 
nests  and  attar  of  roses,  bulses  of  diamonds  and  bags 


486  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

of  guineas.  His  bribes,  distributed  with  judicious 
prodigality,  speedily  produced  a  large  return.  Just 
when  the  Court  became  all-powerful  in  the  State,  he 
became  all-powerful  at  the  Court." 

Against  such  machinations  as  these  Keigwin  was 
powerless.  Whatever  Child  asked  should  be  done  to 
maintain  the  authority  of  the  Company  was  granted. 
Keigwin  had  appealed  to  hear  the  will  of  the  King. 
The  King's  answer  was  but  the  echo  of  the  voice  of 
Child. 

On  the  31st  January,  1683-4,  President  John 
Child  from  Surat  arrived  off  Bombay  with  some 
commissioners,  and  met  Keigwin  with  offers  of  pardon 
for  his  rebellion,  but  the  offer  was  indignantly  refused. 
Keigwin  would  deal  with  no  one  but  the  King  himself, 
and  some  plain  truths  were  told  to  John  Child,  that  it 
was  he  and  his  brother,  by  their  greed  after  gold  and 
indifference  to  the  welfare  of  the  settlement,  that  caused 
all  the  trouble.  The  consultation  lasted  till  March, 
1683-4,  ^^^  then  Child  had  to  return  to  Surat,  without 
having  effected  anything. 

In  the  meantime  the  Court  of  Directors  sent  in  a 
report  to  the  King,  on  15th  August,  1684,  with  a  long 
statement  of  its  grievances,  and  a  claim  for  protection, 
according  to  the  charter  of  the  Society. 

Charles  II  could  do  no  other  than  order  that  the 
island  should  be  delivered  over  to  the  Presidency  of 
Surat,  and  a  Commission  under  the  Great  Seal  was 
issued  to  President  Child  and  to  the  commanders  of 
the  Company's  ships,  empowering  them  to  receive  the 
surrender  of  Bombay  from  Keigwin  and  his  asso- 
ciates and  to  offer  a  generous  pardon  to  all,  except  the 
four  ringleaders,  who  should  within  twenty-four  hours 
after  notice  return  to  their  duty. 

Captain   Tyrell,  with  H.M.S.  P/iccntx,  frigate,  was 


CAPTAIN    RICHARD    KEIGWIN  487 

despatched,  with  Sir  Thomas  Graham  as  admiral, 
to  settle  the  affair. 

But  Captain  Keigwin  had  no  idea  of  resistance.  It 
had  been  further  ordered  that  if  Keigwin  and  his  fol- 
lowers should  attempt  opposition,  all  should  be  de- 
nounced as  rebels,  and  a  reward  of  4000  rupees  should 
be  paid  to  any  one  who  should  deliver  up  Keigwin, 
and  2000  for  Alderton,  and  200  for  Fletcher. 

Sir  Thomas  Graham  arrived  in  the  Bay  of  Bombay 
on  the  loth  November,  1684,  and  with  great  prompti- 
tude landed  without  attendants,  and  had  a  conference 
with  Keigwin,  who  protested  that  he  had  only  revolted 
against  the  misgovernment  of  the  Company,  and  to 
save  Bombay  from  being  seized  by  one  or  other  of  the 
Indian  princes  who  were  aiming  to  secure  it.  He  at 
once  accepted  the  offer  made  to  him  of  pardon,  and 
surrendered  Bombay.  He  went  on  board  the  vessel  of 
Sir  Thomas  Graham  and  arrived  in  England  in  July, 
1685. 

During  his  enjoyment  of  power  Captain  Keigwin 
had  acted  with  integrity  and  wisely  and  judiciously. 
He  had  relations  with  the  native  princes,  and  he  showed 
an  amount  of  prudence  and  clear  judgment  that 
eventually  greatly  benefited  the  East  India  Company. 
He  induced  Sambhajee,  the  Mahratta  rajah,  to  per- 
mit the  establishment  of  factories  in  the  Carnatic 
and  allow  them  12,000  pagodas  as  compensation  for 
losses  sustained  at  places  plundered  by  the  Mahrattas. 
Keigwin  repressed  the  insolence  of  the  Mogul  admiral, 
Siddee,  with  decision,  and  would  neither  suffer  him 
to  keep  his  fleet  at  Mazapore,  nor  even  to  go  there, 
except  for  water.  In  fact,  had  the  Company  known  it, 
they  had  in  Keigwin  an  admirable  servant,  a  CHve 
before  the  time  of  that  hero. 

But    the   directors   were  a    number    of    commercial 


488  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

speculators  who  saw  no  further  than  a  few  years  before 
them,  and  were  eager  at  once  to  be  rich.  They  cast 
this  man  aside,  who,  had  they  employed  him,  would 
have  made  India  theirs  ;  and,  a  disappointed  man,  he 
entered  the  Royal  Navy  and  died  at  the  taking  of 
S.  Kitts,  in  the  West  Indies,  in  command  of  H.M.S. 
Assistance,  22nd  June,  1689. 

It  is  one  of  the  great  mysteries  of  life  and  death  that 
men  who  might  have  revolutionized  the  world  are 
swept  aside  and  hardly  anything  is  recorded  concern- 
ing them.  Richard  Keigwin  was  one  such,  full  of 
self-confidence,  vigour  of  character,  restraint,  and 
judgment.  But  he  lived  at  a  time  and  under  a  reign 
in  which  there  was  no  appreciation  of  merit,  and  cor- 
ruption and  self-interest  bore  him  down. 


THE    LOSS   OF   THE    "KENT" 

THE  Ke7it,  Captain  Henry  Cobb,  1350  tons, 
bound  for  Bengal  and  China,  left  the  Downs 
on  19th  February,  1825,  with  20  officers,  344 
soldiers,  43  women,  and  66  children  belong- 
ing to  the  31st  Regiment ;  20  private  passengers  and 
a  crew,  including  officers,  of  148  men  on  board,  making 
in  all  641  souls. 

A  gale  came  on  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  the  ship 
rolled  greatly.  On  ist  March  the  dead  weight  of  some 
hundred  tons  of  shot  and  shells,  pressed  so  heavily 
with  the  rolling  that  the  main  chains  were  thrown 
by  every  lurch  under  water  ;  and  the  best  cleated 
articles  of  furniture  in  the  cabin  and  the  cuddy 
(the  large  dining  apartment)  were  dashed  from  side 
to  side. 

One  of  the  officers  of  the  ship,  with  the  well-meant 
intention  of  ascertaining  that  all  was  fast  below,  de- 
scended with  two  of  the  sailors  into  the  hold,  whither 
they  carried  with  them  for  safety  a  light  in  a  patent 
lantern  ;  and  seeing  that  the  lamp  was  burning  dimly, 
the  officer  took  the  precaution  to  hand  it  up  to  the 
orlop  deck  to  be  trimmed.  Having  afterwards  dis- 
covered that  one  of  the  spirit  casks  was  adrift,  he  sent 
a  sailor  for  some  billets  of  wood  to  secure  it,  but  the 
ship  in  his  absence  having  made  a  heavy  lurch,  the 
officer  unfortunately  dropped  the  light,  and  letting  go 
of  his  hold  of  the  cask  in  his  eagerness  to  recover  the 
lantern,  it  suddenly  stove,  and,  the  spirits  communi- 

489 


490  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

eating  with  the  lamp,  the  whole  place  was  instantly  in 
a  blaze. 

Major  (afterwards  Sir  Duncan)  McGregor,  who  was 
on  board  at  the  time  with  his  wife  and  family,  says  : — 

'*  I  received  from  Captain  Spence,  the  captain  of  the 
day,  the  alarming  information  that  the  ship  was  on  fire 
in  the  after-hold.  On  hastening  to  the  hatchway 
whence  smoke  was  slowly  ascending,  I  found  Captain 
Cobb  and  other  officers  already  giving  orders,  which 
seemed  to  be  promptly  obeyed  by  seamen  and  troops, 
who  were  using  every  exertion  by  means  of  the  pumps, 
buckets  of  water,  wet  sails,  hammocks,  etc.,  to  ex- 
tinguish the  flames.  With  a  view  to  excite  the  ladies' 
alarm  as  little  as  possible,  on  conveying  the  intelligence 
to  Colonel  Faron,  the  commanding  officer  of  the  troops, 
I  knocked  gently  at  the  cabin  door,  and  expressed  a 
wish  to  speak  with  him  ;  but  whether  my  countenance 
betrayed  the  state  of  my  feelings,  or  the  increasing 
noise  and  confusion  upon  deck  created  apprehension, 
I  found  it  difficult  to  pacify  some  of  the  ladies  by 
assurances  that  no  danger  whatever  was  to  be  appre- 
hended from  the  gale.  As  long  as  the  devouring 
element  appeared  to  be  confined  to  the  spot  where  the 
fire  had  originated,  and  which  we  were  assured  was 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  water-casks,  we  ventured  to 
cherish  hopes  that  it  might  be  subdued  ;  but  no  sooner 
was  the  light  blue  vapour  that  at  first  arose  succeeded 
by  volumes  of  black  dingy  smoke,  which  speedily 
ascended  through  all  the  four  hatchways,  rolled  over 
every  part  of  the  ship,  than  all  further  concealment 
became  impossible,  and  almost  all  hope  of  preserving 
the  vessel  was  abandoned. 

"In  these  awful  circumstances.  Captain  Cobb,  with 
an  ability  and  decision  of  character  that  seemed  to  in- 
crease with  the  imminence  of  the  danger,  resorted  to 


THE   LOSS   OF  THE    "KENT"  491 

the  only  alternative  now  left  him — of  ordering  the  lower 
decks  to  be  scuttled,  the  combing  of  the  hatches  to  be 
cut,  and  the  lower  ports  to  be  opened,  for  the  free 
admission  of  the  waves. 

**  These  instructions  were  speedily  executed  by  the 
united  efforts  of  the  troops  and  seamen ;  but  not 
before  some  of  the  sick  soldiers,  one  woman,  and 
several  children,  unable  to  gain  the  upper  deck,  had 
perished.  On  descending  to  the  gun-deck  with  one  or 
two  officers  of  the  31st  Regiment  to  assist  in  opening 
the  ports,  I  met,  staggering  towards  the  hatchway, 
in  an  exhausted  and  nearly  senseless  state,  one  of  the 
mates,  who  informed  us  that  he  had  just  stumbled 
over  the  dead  bodies  of  some  individuals  who  must 
have  died  of  suffocation,  to  which  it  was  evident  that 
he  himself  had  almost  fallen  a  victim.  So  dense  and 
oppressive  was  the  smoke  that  it  was  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  we  could  remain  long  enough  below  to  fulfil 
Captain  Cobb's  wishes  ;  which  were  no  sooner  accom- 
plished than  the  sea  rushed  in  with  extraordinary  force, 
carrying  away  in  its  restless  progress  to  the  hold  the 
largest  chests,  bulkheads,  etc." 

The  immense  quantity  of  water  that  was  thus  intro- 
duced into  the  vessel  had,  indeed,  for  a  time  the  effect 
of  checking  the  fury  of  the  flames ;  but  the  danger 
of  sinking  was  increased  as  the  risk  of  explosion, 
should  the  fire  reach  the  powder,  was  diminished.  The 
ship  became  water-logged,  and  presented  other  indica- 
tions of  settling  previous  to  going  down. 

**  The  upper  deck  was  covered  with  between  six  and 
seven  hundred  human  beings,  many  of  whom  from 
previous  sea-sickness  were  forced  on  the  first  alarm 
from  below  in  a  state  of  absolute  nakedness,  and  were 
now  running. about  in  quest  of  husbands,  children,  or 
parents.     While  some  were  standing  in  silent  resigna- 


492  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

tion  or  in  stupid  insensibility  to  their  impending  fate, 
others  were  yielding  themselves  up  to  the  most  frantic 
despair.  Several  of  the  soldiers'  wives  and  children, 
who  had  fled  for  temporary  shelter  into  the  after  cabins 
on  the  upper  decks,  were  engaged  in  prayer  with  the 
ladies,  some  of  whom  were  enabled,  with  wonderful 
self-possession,  to  offer  to  others  spiritual  consolation  ; 
and  the  dignified  deportment  of  two  young  ladies  in 
particular  formed  a  specimen  of  natural  strength  of 
mind  finely  modified  by  Christian  feeling. 

''Among  the  numerous  objects  that  struck  my  ob- 
servation at  the  period,  I  was  much  affected  by  the 
appearance  and  conduct  of  some  of  the  dear  children, 
who,  quite  unconscious  in  the  cuddy  cabin  of  the  perils 
that  surrounded  them,  continued  to  play  as  usual  with 
their  little  toys  in  bed.  To  some  of  the  older  children, 
who  seemed  alive  to  the  reality  of  the  danger,  I  whis- 
pered, '  Now  is  the  time  to  put  in  practice  the  instruc- 
tions you  have  received  at  the  regimental  school  and 
to  think  of  the  Saviour.'  They  replied,  as  the  tears 
ran  down  their  cheeks,  '  Oh  sir !  we  are  trying  to 
remember  them,  and  we  are  praying  to  God.' 

''It  occurred  to  Mr.  Thomson,  the  fourth  mate,  to 
send  a  man  to  the  foretop,  rather  with  the  ardent  wish' 
than  with  the  expectation,  that  some  friendly  sail  might 
be  discovered  on  the  face  of  the  waters.  The  sailor,  on 
mounting,  threw  his  eyes  round  the  horizon  for  a 
moment — a  moment  of  unutterable  suspense — and, 
waving  his  hat,  exclaimed,  '  A  sail  on  the  leeboard  ! ' 

"The  joyful  announcement  was  received  with  three 
cheers  upon  deck.  Our  flags  of  distress  were  instantly 
hoisted  and  our  minute  guns  fired  ;  and  we  endeavoured 
to  bear  down  under  our  three  topsails  and  foresail  upon 
the  stranger,  which  afterwards  proved  to  be  the  Cambria, 
a  small   brig   of   200  tons   burden,   having   on    board 


THE    LOSS   OF   THE    "KENT"  493 

twenty  or  thirty  Cornish  miners  and  other  agents  of  the 
Anglo-Mexican  Company. 

"For  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  we  were  left  in  doubt 
whether  the  brig  perceived  our  signals,  or,  perceiving 
them,  was  either  disposed  or  able  to  lend  us  any 
assistance.  From  the  violence  of  the  gale,  it  seems 
that  the  report  of  our  guns  was  not  heard  ;  but  the 
ascending  volumes  of  smoke  from  the  ship  sufficiently 
announced  the  dreadful  nature  of  our  distress,  and  we 
had  the  satisfaction,  after  a  short  period  of  suspense, 
to  see  the  brig  hoist  British  colours  and  crowd  all  sail 
to  hasten  to  our  relief. 

*'  I  confess  that  when  I  reflected  on  the  long  period 
our  ship  had  already  been  burning — on  the  tremendous 
sea  that  was  running — on  the  extreme  smallness  of  the 
brig,  and  the  immense  number  of  human  beings  to  be 
saved — I  could  only  venture  to  hope  that  a  few  might 
be  spared  ;  but  I  durst  not  for  a  moment  contemplate 
the  possibility  of  my  own  preservation." 

To  prevent  the  rush  to  the  boats  as  they  were  being 
lowered,  some  of  the  military  officers  were  stationed 
over  them  with  drawn  swords.  Arrangements  were 
made  by  Captain  Cobb  for  placing  in  the  first  boat, 
previous  to  letting  it  down,  all  the  ladies  and  as  many 
of  the  soldiers'  wives  as  it  could  safely  contain.  They 
hurriedly  wrapped  themselves  up  in  whatever  articles 
of  clothing  could  be  found,  and  at  about  2  p.m.  or 
2.30  p.m.  a  mournful  procession  advanced  from  the 
aft  cabin  to  the  starboard  cuddy  port,  outside  of  which 
the  cutter  was  suspended.  Scarcely  a  word  was  uttered  ; 
not  a  scream  was  heard.  Even  the  infants  ceased  to 
cry,  as  if  conscious  of  the  unspoken,  unspeakable 
anguish  that  was  at  that  instant  rending  the  hearts  of 
their  parting  parents — nor  was  the  silence  of  voices  in 
any  way  broken,  except  in  one  or  two  cases,  where  the 


494  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ladies  plaintively  entreated  permission  to  be  left  behind 
with  their  husbands. 

Although  Captain  Cobb  had  used  every  precaution 
to  diminish  the  danger  of  the  boat's  descent,  and  for 
this  purpose  had  stationed  a  man  with  an  axe  to  cut 
away  the  tackle  from  either  extremity  should  the 
slightest  difficulty  occur  in  unhooking  it,  yet  the  peril 
attending  the  whole  operation  nearly  proved  fatal  to 
its  numerous  inmates.  After  a  couple  of  unsuccessful 
attempts  to  place  the  frail  bark  fairly  on  the  heaving 
surface  of  the  water,  the  command  was  given  at  length 
to  unhook.  The  tackle  at  the  stern  was,  in  conse- 
quence, immediately  cleared  ;  but  the  ropes  at  the  bow 
having  got  fast,  the  sailor  there  found  it  impossible  to 
obey  the  order.  In  vain  was  the  axe  applied  to  the 
entangled  tackle.  The  moment  was  inconceivably 
critical,  as  the  boat,  which  necessarily  followed  the 
motion  of  the  ship,  was  gradually  rising  out  of  the 
water,  and  must,  in  another  instant,  have  been  hang- 
ing perpendicularly  by  the  bow,  and  its  helpless  in- 
mates in  that  event  would  have  been  shot  down  into 
the  boiling  surf.  But  at  that  moment,  providentially, 
a  wave  suddenly  struck  and  lifted  the  stern,  so  as  to 
enable  the  seaman  to  disentangle  the  tackle,  and  the 
boat,  dexterously  cleared  from  the  wreck,  was  seen 
after  a  little  while  from  the  poop  battling  with  the 
billows  on  its  way  to  the  Cambria^  which  prudently 
lay  to  at  some  distance  from  the  Kerit,  lest  she  should 
be  involved  in  her  explosion,  or  exposed  to  the  fire  of 
her  guns,  which,  being  all  shotted,  afterwards  went  off 
as  the  flames  reached  them  successively. 

The  men  had,  accordingly,  a  considerable  distance 
to  row.  The  better  to  balance  the  boat  in  the  raging 
seas  through  which  it  had  to  make  its  way,  as  also  to 
enable  the  seamen  to  ply  their  oars,  the  women  and 


THE    LOSS   OF   THE    "KENT"  495 

children  were  stowed  promiscuously  under  the  seats, 
and  consequently  exposed  to  the  risk  of  being  drowned 
by  the  continual  dashing  of  the  spray  over  their  heads, 
which  so  filled  the  boat  during  the  passage,  that  before 
they  arrived  at  the  brig  the  poor  creatures  were  crouch- 
ing up  to  their  breasts  in  water,  and  their  children 
kept  above  it  with  the  greatest  difficulty  by  their 
numbed  hands. 

However,  in  the  course  of  between  twenty  minutes 
and  half  an  hour,  the  little  cutter  was  seen  alongside 
the  brig. 

But  the  perils  of  the  passage  were  not  over  ;  the  boat 
was  heaved  up  against  the  side  of  the  rolling  and  pitch- 
ing Cambria,  and  the  difficulty  of  getting  the  women 
and  children  out  of  the  cutter  and  on  to  the  deck  was 
great.  Moreover,  the  boat  stood  in  imminent  danger  of 
being  stove  in  against  the  side  of  the  brig  whilst  its 
passengers  were  disembarking. 

Here  it  was  that  the  Cornish  miners  on  board  the 
Cambria  notably  distinguished  themselves,  and  above 
all  Joseph  Warren  from  S.  Just,  a  famous  wrestler. 
Being  a  man  of  enormous  strength,  he  stood  on  the 
chains  and  caught  first  the  children  as  they  were  tossed 
to  his  arms,  passed  them  up  on  deck,  and  then  lifted 
the  women  bodily  from  the  boat  as  it  heaved  up  within 
his  reach,  and  passed  them  over  his  head  to  the  men 
above. 

The  women  showed  great  self-possession.  They  had 
been  urged  to  avail  themselves  of  every  favourable 
heave  of  the  sea,  by  springing  towards  the  friendly 
arms  that  were  extended  to  receive  them  ;  and  notwith- 
standing the  deplorable  consequence  of  making  a  false 
step,  or  misjudging  a  distance,  under  such  critical 
circumstances,  not  a  single  accident  occurred  to  any 
individual  belonging  to  this  first  boat. 


496  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Three  out  of  the  six  boats  originally  possessed  by  the 
Kent  were  swamped  in  the  course  of  the  day,  one  of 
them  with  men  in  it  ;  and  the  boats  took  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  over  each  trip,  so  that  night  settled  down, 
adding  to  the  difficulties  and  dangers,  and  bringing 
ever  nearer  the  prospect  of  the  fire  reaching  the  powder 
magazine  and  blowing  all  who  remained  on  board  into 
eternity. 

Sir  Donald  McGregor  tells  some  pathetic  stories  of 
the  rest  of  the  crew  and  passengers.  One  woman  had 
vainly  entreated  to  be  allowed  to  go  to  India  with  her 
husband,  and  when  refused,  had  contrived  to  hide 
herself  in  the  vessel  as  a  stowaway  till  it  was  well  out 
at  sea.  As  he  was  endeavouring  to  reach  one  of  the 
boats,  he  fell  overboard,  and  his  head,  coming  between 
the  heaving  boat  and  the  side  of  the  ship,  was  crushed 
like  a  nut  in  her  sight.  Sad  instances  occurred  where  a 
husband  had  to  make  election  between  the  saving  of  his 
wife  and  that  of  his  children.  The  courage  of  some 
utterly  failed  them.  Nothing  would  induce  them  to  enter 
or  try  to  enter  one  of  the  boats  leaping  on  the  waves 
beside  the  burning  ship.  Rather  than  adventure  that 
they  would  remain  and  take  their  chances  on  the  wreck. 
Some,  making  false  leaps  into  the  boats,  fell  into  the 
waves  and  were  drowned. 

At  last  all  who  could  or  would  be  saved  were  brought 
on  board  the  Cavih7'ia. 

"  After  the  arrival  of  the  last  boat,  the  flames,  which 
had  spread  along  her  upper  deck  and  poop,  ascended 
with  the  rapidity  of  lightning  to  the  masts  and  rigging, 
forming  one  general  conflagration  that  illumined  the 
heavens,  and  was  strongly  reflected  upon  several  objects 
on  board  the  brig. 

"  The  flags  of  distress,  hoisted  in  the  morning,  were 
seen  for  a  considerable  time  waving  amid  the  flames, 


THE    LOSS   OF   THE    "KENT"  497 

until  the  masts  to  which  they  were  suspended  succes- 
sively fell  over  the  ship's  sides.  At  last,  about  1.30  in 
the  morning,  the  devouring  element  having  communi- 
cated to  the  magazine,  the  long-threatened  explosion 
was  seen,  and  the  blazing  fragments  of  the  once 
magnificent -ff'e/z^f  were  instantly  hurried,  like  so  many 
rockets,  high  into  the  air,  leaving  in  the  comparative 
darkness  that  succeeded  the  dreadful  scene  of  that 
disastrous  day  floating  before  the  mind  like  some 
feverish  dream. 

"I  trust  that  you  will  keep  in  mind  that  Captain 
Cook's  generous  intentions  and  exertions  must  have 
proved  utterly  unavailing  for  the  preservation  of  so 
many  lives  had  they  not  been  most  nobly  and  unre- 
mittingly supported  by  those  of  his  mate  and  crew,  as 
well  as  of  the  numerous  passengers  on  board  his  brig. 
While  the  former,  only  eight  in  number,  were  usefully 
employed  in  watching  the  vessel,  the  sturdy  Cornish 
miners  and  Yorkshire  smelters,  on  the  approach  of  the 
different  boats,  took  their  perilous  station  upon  the 
chains,  where  they  put  forth  the  great  muscular  strength 
with  which  Heaven  had  endowed  them,  in  dexterously 
seizing,  at  each  successive  heave  of  the  sea,  on  some  of 
the  exhausted  people  and  dragging  them  upon  deck. 
Nor  did  their  kind  anxieties  terminate  there.  They 
and  the  gentlemen  connected  with  them  cheerfully 
opened  their  stores  of  clothes  and  provisions,  which 
they  liberally  dispensed  to  the  naked  and  famished 
sufferers  ;  and  they  surrendered  their  beds  to  the  help- 
less women  and  children,  and  seemed,  in  short,  during 
the  whole  passage  to  England,  to  take  no  other  delight 
than  in  ministering  to  all  our  wants." 

Captain  Cook  of  the  Cambria  at  once  turned  the 
vessel  and  steered  for  Falmouth. 

On  reaching  Falmouth  report  of  the  distressed  con- 
2  K 


498  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

dition  of  those  who  had  been  rescued  was  sent  to 
Colonel  Fenwick,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Pendennis 
Castle,  and  the  people  of  Falmouth  showed  the  utmost 
kindness  and  hospitality  to  those  who  had  been  saved. 

On  the  first  Sunday  after  they  had  disembarked, 
Colonel  Fearon,  all  the  officers  and  men,  Captain  Cobb 
and  the  sailors  and  passengers  attended  church  at  Fal- 
mouth to  give  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  their  deliver- 
ance from  a  fearful  death. 

**  Falmouth,  March  i6thy  1825. 
**  To  the  Committee  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Falmouth. 

''Gentlemen, 

"  In  tracing  the  various  links  in  the  ample  chain 
of  mercy  and  bounty  with  which  it  has  pleased  a  gracious 
Providence  to  surround  the  numerous  individuals  lately 
rescued  from  the  destruction  of  the  Hon.  Company's 
stiX'p  Kenty  we,  the  Lieut.-Col.  Commanding,  and  officers 
belonging  to  the  right  wing  of  the  31st  Regiment, 
cannot  but  reflect  with  increasing  gratitude  on  the 
beneficence  of  that  arrangement  whereby  ourselves  and 
our  gallant  men,  after  the  awful  and  afflicting  calamity 
that  befell  us,  were  cast  upon  the  sympathies  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Falmouth  and  the  adjacent  towns,  who 
have  so  widely  opened  their  hearts  to  feel,  and  munifi- 
cently extended  their  hands  to  provide  for  our  numer- 
ous and  necessary  wants. 

"We  were  thrown  upon  your  shore  as  penniless 
strangers,  and  ye  took  us  in  ;  we  were  hungry  and 
ye  gave  us  meat ;  naked  and  ye  clothed  us  ;  sick  and 
ye  relieved  and  comforted  us.  We  have  found  you 
rejoicing  with  those  of  us  who  rejoiced,  and  weeping 
with  such  of  us  as  had  cause  to  weep.  You  have 
visited  our  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and 


THE    LOSS   OF   THE    ''KENT"  499 

sought  by  increasing  acts  of  the  most  seasonable,  effec- 
tive, and  delicate  charity,  to  alleviate  the  measure  of 
our  sufferings. 

"Under  such  circumstances,  what  can  we  say,  or 
where  shall  we  find  words  to  express  our  emotions? 
You  have  created  between  us  and  our  beloved  country 
an  additional  bond  of  affection  and  gratitude,  that  will 
animate  our  future  zeal,  and  enable  us,  amidst  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  our  professional  life,  to  point  out  Fal- 
mouth to  our  companions  in  arms  as  one  of  the 
bright  spots  in  our  happy  land  where  the  friendless 
shall  find  many  friends,  and  the  afflicted  receive  abun- 
dant consolation. 

"In  the  name  and  on  behalf  of  the  officers  of  the 
"  Right  Wing  of  the  31st  Regiment, 

"  R.  B.  Fearon,  Lieut-Col.,  31st  Foot." 

Joseph  Warren,  the  S.  Just  miner  and  wrestler  who 
had  so  powerfully  assisted  in  the  rescue  of  the  unfor- 
tunates from  the  Kent^  strained  his  back  in  heaving  up 
the  women  on  deck,  that  ever  after  deprived  him  of 
power  to  wrestle  or  exercise  his  ancient  strength.  One 
of  the  ladies  whom  he  had  rescued  paid  him  an  annuity 
through  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  he  died  at  his  old  home 
at  S.  Just-in-Penwith,  28th  January,  1842. 


VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  CHARLES  V. 
PENROSE 

THE  Penrose  family  is  one  of  the  most 
ancient  in  Cornwall.  The  name  signifies 
the  Head  of  the  Moor,  and  it  belonged 
par  excellence  to  the  Land's  End,  where, 
at  S.  Sennen,  we  find  the  Penroses  seated  as  landed 
gentry  from  the  time  of  Edward  I.  They  had  branches 
in  Sithney,  Manaccan,  and  S.  Anthony-in-Meneage. 
They  mated  with  the  best  in  the  county — the  Trefusis, 
the  Killigrews,  the  Eriseys,  and  the  Boscawens.  One 
broke  away  from  the  circle  of  beautiful  Celtic  names, 
and  took  to  wife  a  daughter  of  Sir  Anthony  Buggs,  Knt. 
Happy  must  the  lady  have  felt  to  cease  to  be  Miss 
Buggs  and  become  Madame  Penrose  ! 

Charles  Vinicombe  Penrose  was  the  youngest  son 
and  child  of  the  Rev.  John  Penrose,  vicar  of  Gluvias, 
and  was  born  at  Gluvias,  June  20th,  1759.  In  the 
spring  of  1775  he  was  appointed  midshipman  on  board 
the  Levant  frigate.  Captain  Murray,  under  whose 
command  he  passed  the  whole  period  of  his  service 
during  the  next  twenty-two  years  of  his  life,  and  who 
(with  one  trifling  exception)  was  the  only  captain  with 
whom  he  ever  sailed,  either  as  midshipman  or  as 
lieutenant.  In  1779  young  Penrose  was  made  lieu- 
tenant, and  was  appointed  to  the  Cleopatra. 

All  the  summer  and  a  part  of  the  winter  of 
1780  were  passed  in  cruising  off  the  Flemish  bank. 
Captain  Murray  was  then  sent  with  a  small  squadron 

500 


•imbav   \mpj 


VICE-ADMIRAL    SIR    CHARLES    V.     PENROSE,    K.C.B. 


VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  CHARLES  PENROSE  501 

to  intercept  the  trade  which  the  Americans  were 
carrying  on  with  Gothenburg  by  passing  to  the  north 
of  the  Shetland  Isles.  The  biting  cold  made  this  a 
source  of  extreme  hardship,  and  the  young  lieutenant, 
now  first  lieutenant,  suffered  severely.  The  illness  of 
the  captain,  and  the  incapacity  of  some  of  the  officers, 
threw  on  him  almost  the  whole  care  of  the  ship,  and 
this  under  circumstances  that  required  the  skill  and 
caution  of  the  seaman  to  be  ever  on  the  alert. 

"  I  had,  however,"  he  wrote,  "no  time  to  nurse  my- 
self, though  I  had  pleurisy,  besides  my  chilblains. 
For  these  latter  I  used  to  have  warm  vinegar  and  sal 
ammoniac  brought  frequently  on  deck,  and,  to  allay 
the  raging  pain,  dipped  thin  gloves  into  the  mixture, 
and  put  them  on  under  thick  worsted  mittens.  At  one 
time  rheumatism  had  so  got  hold  of  me  that  I  was  not 
able  to  stand,  but  lay  wrapped  up  in  flannel  on  an  arm- 
chest,  on  the  forepart  of  the  quarter-deck,  to  give  my 
orders. 

''  On  one  occasion,  in  a  severe  gale,  the  ship  covered 
with  frozen  snow,  the  main  topmast  was  carried  away  ; 
we  were  the  whole  day  clearing  the  wreck,  and  I  was 
much  fatigued  but  obliged  to  keep  the  first  watch.  We 
were  lying  to  under  bare  poles,  and  I  had  sent  all  the 
men  under  shelter  except  one  man  at  the  helm  and 
the  mate  of  the  watch  ;  and  I  had,  with  much  difficulty, 
cleared  a  place  for  myself  between  two  of  the  guns, 
where,  holding  by  a  rope,  I  could  move  two  or  three 
short  paces  backwards  and  forwards.  About  nine 
o'clock  my  messmates  sent  to  ask  if  I  would  have  any- 
thing, and  I  thoughtlessly  ordered  a  glass  of  warm 
brandy  and  water,  which  they  as  thoughtlessly  sent.  I 
drank  about  half,  and  gave  the  rest  to  the  mate.  In  a 
minute  I  felt  a  glow  of  warmth.  Health,  animation, 
freedom  from  fatigue,  all  came  in  their  climax  of  com- 


502  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

fort.  The  next  minute  I  fell  sleeping  on  the  deck. 
Fortunately  for  me,  my  comrade  was  an  old  seaman,  and 
he  instantly  knew  my  case  and  dragged  me  down  the 
ladder.  I  was  put  to  bed ;  was  badly  treated,  as  I 
was  rubbed  with  spirits ;  but  after  excruciating  pain, 
I  recovered.  Had  the  officer  of  the  watch  been  a 
young  gentleman  without  experience,  I  should  never 
have  told  my  story." 

In  1 78 1  the  Cleopatra  was  in  the  action  off  the 
Dogger  Bank,  but  in  1783  was  paid  off.  "At  this 
time,"  wrote  Mr.  Penrose,  "after  having  been  for 
eleven  years  conversant  only  with  nautical  affairs,  I 
really  felt  a  great  puzzle  to  know  how  a  shore  life  could 
be  endured.  I  had  entered  into  my  profession  with  all 
my  heart,  and  was  at  this  time  as  nearly  a  fish  as  a  fin- 
less  animal  can  become." 

In  1787  he  married  Miss  Trevenen,  the  elder  sister  of 
his  brother's  wife,  and  by  her  had  three  daughters.  He 
was  not  at  sea  again  till  1790,  when  he  accompanied 
Captain  Murray  in  the  Defence^  and  was  engaged  in 
the  West  Indies.  At  the  latter  end  of  1796  he  was 
again  returned  to  the  Cleopatra^  in  which  ship  he  had 
the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  conveying  to  England  his 
friend  and  admiral,  who  had  been  seized  with  a  para- 
lytic affection  from  which  he  never  recovered.  The 
voyage  home  was  tempestuous ;  but  at  length,  and 
nearly  at  its  close,  the  wind  had  come  right  aft,  and  the 
captain,  who,  though  ill,  was  on  deck,  believed  himself 
to  be  making  rapid  way  up  the  Channel.  On  a  sudden 
a  light,  which  he  knew  to  be  the  Scilly  light,  flashed 
across  him,  and  he  saw  that  he  was  between  Scilly  and 
the  Land's  End.  He  instantly  stood  to  the  south,  but 
had  hardly  changed  his  course  when  he  saw,  close 
astern  in  the  dark  night,  a  wave  break  under  the  bow 
of  a  large  ship,  steering  exactly  in  the  direction  which 


VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  CHARLES  PENROSE  503 

he  had  left.  "I  never  felt  so  sick  before,"  he  wrote. 
"  I  felt  certain  that  in  an  hour's  time  she  would  be  on 
the  rocks,  the  wind  blowing  almost  a  storm.  I  shouted 
through  the  trumpet,  I  threw  up  lights,  and  fired  guns, 
to  give  the  alarm,  but  with  the  inward  conviction  at 
the  time  that  it  was  all  in  vain — and  so  it  was.  This 
ship  was  never  heard  of  again  ;  and  though  fragments 
of  a  wreck  were  found  the  next  morning  on  the  coast 
near  the  Land's  End,  nothing  was  discovered  to  in- 
dicate what  wreck  it  was." 

The  Cleopatra^  on  her  return  to  England,  was  laid 
up  for  some  months  at  Portsmouth  in  dock,  and  shortly- 
after  her  repairs  were  completed  the  mutiny  broke  out 
at  Spithead.  Captain  Penrose  had  the  satisfaction  that 
his  own  crew,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  this 
anxious  period,  stood  firm  to  their  duty  ;  a  consequence 
undoubtedly  of  the  manner  in  which  he  invariably 
treated  his  men,  with  kindly  consideration  and  as 
reasonable  beings. 

He  now  went  ashore,  as  his  health  was  broken,  and 
in  May,  1798,  went  to  reside  at  Ethy,  near  Lostwithiel, 
where,  so  soon  as  his  health  was  re-established,  he 
settled  his  family  and  looked  out  for  fresh  employment. 
He  was  appointed  early  in  1799  to  the  Sans  Paretic  of 
eighty  guns,  and  served  in  the  West  Indies  till  1802, 
when  he  returned  to  England,  having  suffered  from 
sunstroke.  In  18 10  Captain  Penrose  was  appointed  to 
the  chief  command  at  Gibraltar,  with  the  rank  of  com- 
modore. He  hoisted  his  flag  on  board  the  San  Jiian^ 
and  had  to  direct  the  proceedings  of  a  large  flotilla 
which  proved  of  great  utility  in  the  defence  of  Cadiz 
and  Tarifa,  and  in  other  operations  against  the  French 
under  Marshal  Soult.  On  December  4th,  1813,  he  was 
promoted  to  be  Admiral  of  the  Blue,  and  shortly  after  to 
superintend  the  naval  service  connected  with  Welling- 


504  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ton's  army,  then  advanced  as  far  as  the  Pyrenees. 
His  orders  were  to  proceed  to  the  small  port  of  Pas- 
sages, and  there  hoist  his  flag  on  board  the  Porcupine. 
Admiral  Penrose  arrived  at  Passages  on  January  27th, 
1814.  The  chief  business  which  now  devolved  on  the 
naval  service  was  to  make  the  necessary  preparations 
for  throwing  a  floating  bridge  across  the  Adour.  This 
bridge  was  to  be  composed  of  small  coasting  vessels, 
decked  boats,  cables  and  planks.  Above  the  bridge 
were  to  be  anchored  for  its  protection  as  many  gun- 
boats as  could  be  furnished,  and,  to  guard  both  these 
and  the  bridge  from  fire-ships  or  rafts,  a  boom  was 
also  to  be  laid  across  the  river  further  up  the  stream. 
These  measures  were  consequent  on  the  investment  of 
Bayonne.  Great  difficulties  were  to  be  expected  in 
passing  the  bar  of  the  Adour,  which,  at  the  place  where 
the  bridge  was  to  be  built,  was  four  hundred  yards 
wide,  and  where  the  ebb-tide  ran  at  the  rate  of  eight 
miles  an  hour.  The  Admiral  determined  to  super- 
intend the  operation  in  person.  On  the  afternoon 
of  the  22nd  the  Porcupine^  conveying  some  transports 
and  several  large  coasting  vessels  laden  with  materials, 
left  the  harbour.  But  squally  weather  and  baffling 
winds  came  on  during  the  night,  and  he  was  unable  to 
bring  the  flotilla  to  the  bar  before  the  morning  of 
the  24th. 

The  passing  of  the  bar,  a  most  perilous  service,  has 
been  described,  as  seen  from  the  shore,  by  Mr.  Gleig  in 
the  Stihaltern, 

It  was  nearly  high  water,  and  the  wind  was  fair  ; 
both  officers  and  soldiers  gathered  on  the  heights 
around,  and  the  passage  of  each  vessel  was  eagerly 
watched,  from  the  moment  it  was  immersed  in  the 
foaming  breakers  until  it  issued  forth  in  the  placid 
waters  of  the  river  beyond.    Some  few  vessels  broached 


VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  CHARLES  PENROSE  505 

to  and  sank;  but,  on  the  whole,  the  attempt  fully 
succeeded,  and  with  fewer  casualties  than  could  have 
been  expected.  General  Sir  John  Hope,  who  com- 
manded on  shore,  said,  in  a  letter  to  the  Admiral  : 
*'  I  have  often  seen  how  gallantly  the  navy  will  devote 
themselves  when  serving  with  an  army,  but  I  never 
before  witnessed  so  bold  and  hazardous  a  co-operation, 
and  you  have  my  most  grateful  thanks.  I  wrote  to 
you  in  the  course  of  last  night,  to  say  how  much  we 
stood  in  need  of  boats,  seamen,  etc.,  but  when  I  saw 
the  flotilla  approach  the  wall  of  heavy  surf,  I  regretted 
all  I  had  said." 

So  soon  as  the  boats  had  thus  entered  the  river,  no 
time  was  lost  in  running  those  which  were  intended  to 
form  the  bridge  up  to  their  stations,  where  the  bridge 
was  rapidly  formed  ;  and  at  dawn  on  the  following  day, 
it  was  declared  that  infantry  might  cross  it  with  safety. 
On  the  27th  Bayonne  was  closely  invested  by  Sir  John 
Hope,  and  Marshal  Soult  completely  routed  at  Orthez 
by  Wellington. 

On  March  22nd  Admiral  Penrose  received  in- 
structions from  the  Duke  to  occupy  the  Gironde.  On 
the  24th  he  sailed  in  the  Porcupine,  taking  with  him 
some  brigs  and  a  bomb  vessel,  and  he  was  joined  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  by  the  Egmont,  the  Andromache,  the 
Challenger,  and  the  Belle  Poule.  On  the  27th  he 
entered  the  river,  the  Andromache  taking  the  lead. 
The  want  of  pilots  and  the  haziness  of  the  atmosphere 
rendered  the  navigation  difficult.  The  course  taken  was 
within  easy  reach  of  the  shot  from  the  enemy's  batteries, 
but  these  passed  clear  of  the  ships,  and  every  consider- 
able danger  was  successfully  overcome,  when  a  clear 
sun  broke  forth  to  animate  the  progress  up  the  stream. 

The  abdication  of  Napoleon,  6th  April,  1814,  and  the 
restoration    of  the    Bourbons    followed,    and    Admiral 


5o6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Penrose  left  the  Gironde  on  May  22nd,  and  returned  to 
Passages  to  superintend  the  embarkation  of  the  troops 
and  stores.  The  difficulties  were  great.  The  in- 
adequate supply  of  transports  precluded  the  affording, 
even  to  the  sick  and  wounded,  the  accommodation  of 
which  they  were  in  need  ;  and  the  hatred  borne  by  the 
Spanish  population  to  the  British  troops  burst  forth 
more  and  more  as  their  strength  diminished.  Although 
English  blood  and  treasure  had  been  poured  forth  to 
assist  Spain  against  the  despotism  of  Napoleon  and  in 
driving  the  French  out  of  the  country,  not  a  spark  of 
gratitude  was  manifested  by  the  Spaniards.  It  was 
thought  on  this  occasion  highly  probable  that  some 
outrage  would  be  attempted  in  the  rear  of  the  embark- 
ation. Indeed,  a  plan  had  been  formed  by  some 
Spaniards  to  seize  the  military  chest,  and  for  security  it 
had  to  be  conveyed  on  board  the  Lyra,  and  a  volley  of 
stones  was  hurled  at  the  last  boat  that  left  the  shore. 
During  Admiral  Penrose's  whole  stay  on  this  ungrateful 
coast,  he  never  received  a  visit  or  the  smallest  mark  of 
attention  from  a  single  Spaniard  ;  and  on  his  leaving 
Passages,  not  one  individual  in  the  town  was  seen 
to  look  out  of  a  window  to  watch  the  sailing  of  the 
fleet. 

The  Porcupine  anchored  in  Plymouth  Sound,  Sep- 
tember 6th,  and  the  Admiral  struck  his  flag  on  the  12th, 
with  but  little  expectation,  now  that  peace  had  revisited 
Europe,  of  being  again  actively  employed.  On  the 
i6th,  however,  he  received  a  letter  from  Lord  Melville, 
offering  him  the  command  of  the  fleet  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, become  vacant  by  the  recall  of  Admiral 
Hallowell.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  on  October 
3rd  Admiral  Penrose  hoisted  his  flag  at  Plymouth,  on 
board  the  Queen,  and  left  Plymouth  on  the  8th. 

Whilst  in  the  Mediterranean,  he  heard  on  March  12th, 


VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  CHARLES  PENROSE  507 

1815,  of  the  escape  of  Napoleon  from  Elba,  and  of  his 
having  reached  Prejus. 

In  January,  1816,  Admiral  Penrose  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  Knight  Commander  of  the  Bath. 

On  March  ist  he  received  letters  from  Lord  Exmouth, 
who  appointed  a  meeting  at  Port  Mahon  to  proceed 
against  Algiers  and  Tunis  to  put  an  end  to  the  piracies 
that  were  carried  on  from  these  two  places.  The 
squadron  sailed  for  Algiers  March  21st.  Admiral 
Penrose  wrote  :  "  On  arriving  at  their  destination,  the 
ships  anchored  in  two  lines  out  of  gun-shot  from  the 
batteries,  and  by  signal  made  all  ready  for  battle  ;  but 
all  went  off  quietly,  and  the  slaves  in  whose  behalf  the 
expedition  was  undertaken  were  ransomed  on  the  terms 
which  Lord  Exmouth  proposed."  From  Algiers  the 
squadron  sailed  for  Tunis,  and  here  also  the  Bey  sub- 
mitted to  the  demand  made  on  him,  and  thus  ended 
this  impotent  expedition.  The  Bey  of  Algiers  was 
by  no  means  so  overawed  that  he  desisted  from  his 
nefarious  practices,  and  a  second  expedition  was  sent 
against  him  under  Lord  Exmouth  in  1816. 

By  an  unfortunate  oversight,  rather  than  intentional 
lack  of  courtesy,  no  notice  had  been  sent  to  the  Admiral 
in  command  of  the  Mediterranean  that  Lord  Exmouth 
had  been  despatched  to  bombard  Algiers  and  destroy 
the  piratical  fleet.  Admiral  Penrose  was  at  Malta,  and 
hearing  in  a  roundabout  way  that  Lord  Exmouth, 
with  a  fleet  fitted  out  at  home,  had  entered  the  Medi- 
terranean and  was  on  his  way  to  Algiers,  he  deemed  it 
advisable  to  leave  Malta  and  visit  this  fleet.  He  did 
not  arrive  off  Algiers  till  the  29th  August.  The  action 
had  been  on  the  27th,  and  the  first  objects  seen  on 
entering  the  bay  were  the  still  smoking  wrecks  of  the 
Algerine  navy,  and  then  the  fleet  of  Lord  Exmouth  en- 
gaged in  repairing  the  injuries  which  it  had  sustained. 


5o8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Admiral  Penrose  was  cut  to  the  quick  by  the  slight 
put  upon  him,  and  he  wrote  to  remonstrate  with  the 
Admiralty,  but  received  in  reply  only  a  rebuke  for 
expressing  his  indignation  in  a  tone  that  the  Admiralty 
did  not  relish. 

There  is  no  need  to  attend  Admiral  Penrose  in  his 
cruises  and  visits  to  the  Ionian  Islands,  but  his  diary 
may  be  quoted  relative  to  an  expedition  made  early  in 
1818,  in  company  with  Sir  Thomas  Maitland,  to  visit 
Ali  Pasha. 

The  history  of  this  second  Nero,  with  whom  to  our 
disgrace  we  entered  into  alliance,  and  supplied  with 
cannon  and  muskets,  may  be  given  in  brief. 

Ali,  surnamed  Arslan,  the  Lion,  was  an  Albanian 
born  about  the  year  1741.  His  father,  driven  from  his 
paternal  mansion,  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  some 
bandits,  surrounded  the  house  in  which  were  his 
brothers,  and  burnt  them  in  it  alive.  The  mother  of 
Ali,  daughter  of  a  bey,  was  of  a  vindictive  and  ferocious 
character,  and  on  the  death  of  her  husband  had  the 
formation  of  the  character  of  Ali  in  her  hands,  and  she 
inspired  him  with  remorselessness,  ambition,  and  sub- 
tlety. Ali  assisted  the  Sultan  in  the  war  with  Russia, 
and  was  rewarded  by  being  created  a  pasha  of  two  tails 
and  governor  of  Tricala,  in  Thessaly.  Soon  by  means 
of  intrigue  and  crime  he  obtained  the  pashalics  of 
Janina  and  Arta  ;  then  he  was  granted  the  government 
of  Acharnania,  and,  finding  himself  strong  enough  to 
do  what  he  liked,  he  attacked  neighbouring  provinces, 
and  banished  or  put  to  death  in  them  all  the  Mussul- 
man and  Christian  inhabitants  whose  goods  he  coveted, 
or  who  had  given  him  umbrage.  Then  he  attacked  the 
Christian  Suliotes  and  massacred  them.  Previsa  and 
some  other  Christian  towns  on  the  coast  had  belonged 
to  the  republic  of  Venice.     In  1797  the  Queen  of  the 


VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  CHARLES  PENROSE   509 

Adriatic,  having  been  overthrown  by  Bonaparte,  Ali 
took  the  opportunity,  at  the  feast  of  Easter,  to  descend 
on  them  when  all  the  inhabitants  were  keeping  holiday, 
and  massacre  over  six  thousand  and  plunder  the  houses. 
The  English  Government  entered  into  negotiations 
with  him,  gave  him  a  park  of  artillery  and  six  hundred 
gunshots.  Thus  furnished  he  attacked  Berat,  the 
pasha  of  which  was  the  father  of  his  two  sons'  wives. 
He  took  the  place  and  threw  the  pasha  into  a  subter- 
ranean dungeon  under  his  palace  at  Janina. 

He  seized  on  the  Albanian  towns  of  Argyro-Kastro 
and  Kardihi.  The  inhabitants  of  the  latter  surrendered 
without  striking  a  blow ;  but  as  they  had  at  some 
former  time  offended  his  mother,  he  put  all  the  males 
to  the  sword,  and  handed  over  the  women  to  his  sister, 
who,  after  having  delivered  them  up  to  the  most 
horrible  outrages,  had  them  stripped  stark  naked  and 
driven  into  the  forests,  where  nearly  all  perished  of  cold 
and  hunger.  When  Napoleon  fell,  Ali  got  the  English 
to  cede  to  him  the  town  of  Parga.  It  was  concerning 
this  cession  that  the  English  Government  thought  it 
no  shame  to  send  Sir  Thomas  Maitland  to  Ali  to 
negotiate  with  him  at  Previsa.  "  The  General 
embarked  with  the  ladies  (Lady  Ponsonby,  Lady 
Lauderdale  and  her  daughters)  in  the  Glasgow,  and 
with  the  two  ships  we  proceeded  to  the  anchorage  of 
Prevesa.  On  the  evening  of  our  arrival  I  despatched 
the  second  lieutenant  to  find  at  what  time  on  the  follow- 
ing day  Ali  would  receive  us.  His  report  of  the  chief 
himself  was  wittily  characteristic  :  '  He  is  exactly  like  a 
sugar  hogshead,  dressed  in  scarlet  and  gold.' 

**  A  long  and  heavy  pull  we  had  the  next  day  in  the 
Glasgoiv's  fine  barge  against  a  very  cold  wind,  but  at 
last  we  reached  the  land.  The  palace  of  the  ferocious 
chief  whom  we  had  come  to  visit  was  built  of  wood,  and 


5IO  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

on  the  water's  edge,  so  that  the  boats  landed  at  one  of 
the  doors,  contrived,  no  doubt,  to  enable  the  owner  to 
escape  in  that  direction  if  requisite.  It  was  an  im- 
mense building,  badly  finished,  not  painted,  and  badly 
furnished,  but  calculated  to  lodge  about  three  thousand 
persons.  The  chief,  with  all  his  heads  of  departments, 
and  his  son  and  grandson,  received  us  in  a  small  room, 
one  end  of  which  was  occupied  by  a  comfortable  and 
well-cushioned  divan.  Here  we  were  soon  served  with 
coffee  in  beautiful  china  and  gold  cups  and  saucers,  and 
magnificent  pipes. 

''  Sir  Thomas  introduced  me  as  the  naval  commander- 
in-chief.  Before  we  returned  to  our  ships  an  excellent 
collation  was  provided  on  a  long  table  ;  but  the  climate 
was  severe  in  this  wild  mansion,  and  after  trying  many 
bottles  of  execrable  light  wines,  great  was  my  joy  in 
finding  a  flask  of  excellent  brandy. 

"  I  had  several  good  opportunities  of  watching  the 
countenance  of  the  extraordinary  man  who  was  now 
our  host,  and  I  never  could  observe  the  smallest  in- 
dication without  of  what  was  passing  in  his  breast. 
Simple  benevolence  was  apparently  beaming  from  the 
whole  expression  of  this  human  butcher.  At  one  time 
particularly,  when  I  know  for  a  certainty  that  he  was 
both  angry  and  mortified  at  some  turn  in  the  investiga- 
tions, I  sat  opposite  him  at  only  a  yard's  distance,  and 
could  not  perceive  the  smallest  outward  token  of  the 
storm  within.  He  once  questioned  me  about  my 
family,  whether  I  was  married,  etc.  ;  and  when  I  told 
him  I  had  three  daughters,  'What,  no  sons?  Why 
have  you  not  them?'  and  burst  forth  into  one  of  his 
frightful  haugh-haugh  laughs,  which  were  quite  dis- 
gusting, and  resembled  the  grunt  of  a  wild  beast. 

**  As  a  high  honour,  on  the  day  on  which  the  ladies 
were  with  us,  he  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table  at  dinner. 


VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  CHARLES  PENROSE  511 

The  dinner  was  much  more  profuse  than  elegant ;  and 
one  of  All's  first  operations  was  to  cut  off  the  fore- 
quarter  of  a  roasted  lamb,  and  with  his  hand  tear  out 
the  flesh  between  the  shoulder  and  the  breast,  which 
he  devoured  with  great  glee.  Lady  Lauderdale  sat  on 
his  right  hand,  and  I  was  next  her.  Ali,  understand- 
ing that  she  chose  some  turkey,  had  one  brought  before 
him,  and  helped  her  with  a  fore-quarter  of  an  immense 
bird,  which,  of  course,  puzzled  her  greatly.  Where- 
upon, bowing  for  permission  from  our  host,  I  cut  off  a 
proper  portion  from  the  wing,  and  helped  myself  to  the 
remainder.  When  Ali  saw  what  a  small  portion  I  had 
allotted  to  the  lady,  he  grunted  out  his  peculiar  laugh, 
but  luckily  did  not  persist  in  the  cramming  system. 

''Even  at  this  more  distinguished  feast  good  wines 
were  not  the  order  of  the  day,  and  I  had  again  recourse 
to  the  brandy  bottle.  I  know  not  what  Ali  had  in  a 
particular  bottle  placed  near  himself,  as  he  indulged  no 
one  but  Sir  Thomas  Maitland  with  a  taste  of  it,  but  I  do 
not  recollect  hearing  it  praised.  The  chief  took  a  good 
portion  of  this  bottle  to  himself,  heedless  of  the  Koran 
and  the  prophet. 

''  Immediately  after  dinner  dancing  boys  were  intro- 
duced, and  performed  a  great  number  of  evolutions, 
showing  the  most  extraordinary  flexibility  in  every  part 
of  the  body.  These  poor  creatures  must  have  been 
Nazarites  from  their  birth,  as  their  hair  was  long 
enough  to  reach  to  the  floor  as  they  stood,  and  great 
part  of  their  skill  was  displayed  in  throwing  about 
these  profuse  locks  with  their  arms.  I  think  these  boys 
must  have  been  of  Indian  extraction. 

"The  ladies  having  heard  that  Ali  had  bought  a 
diamond  of  great  value  from  poor  Gustavus,  the  ex- 
King  of  Sweden,  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  see  it. 
He  assented   graciously,   and   ordered   a  plate  to   be 


512  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

brought  to  him.  He  then  searched  in  the  folds  of  his 
own  fat  neck,  and  at  last  untied  a  string  to  which  was 
affixed  a  little  bag  of  either  oil-cloth  or  bladder.  Out  of 
this  he  took  a  coarse  paper  parcel,  and  having  opened 
the  envelope,  and  three  or  four  interior  papers,  he,  with 
a  pretended  air  of  indifference,  threw  out  on  the  plate 
a  considerable  number  of  diamonds,  which  some  of 
our  party  valued  at  ^^"30,000.  Among  these  was  the 
diamond  of  the  ex-King,  which  had  been  valued  at 
;^i2,ooo;  but  owing  partly  to  his  necessities,  and, 
perhaps,  partly  also  to  a  change  in  value,  Ali  pur- 
chased it,  I  think,  for  jCyooo  or  £^8000. 

"  The  strangest  part  of  this  story  was  that  such 
a  man  could  display  such  a  treasure,  showing  that  it 
was  usually  concealed  about  his  person,  before  a  con- 
siderable number  of  his  own  subjects  as  well  as 
strangers.  There  seemed  to  be  the  freest  possible 
ingress  and  egress  to  and  from  the  hall  in  which  we 
sat ;  and  beside  his  officers  of  state,  there  were  many 
menials  in  the  hall  at  the  time.  In  what,  then,  con- 
sisted the  confidence  which  he  must  have  felt  ?  It 
could  not  have  been  derived  from  conscious  virtue,  or 
security  of  attachment ;  and,  except  at  the  gate  which 
led  from  the  great  square  of  the  palace  towards  the 
town,  I  never  saw  anything  like  guard  or  sentinel. 

"  Besides  the  dish  of  diamonds,  Ali  kept  by  his  side 
a  brace  of  pistols  richly  set  with  valuable  jewels,  a 
present  from  Napoleon  ;  and  in  his  girdle  he  always 
wore  a  dagger,  the  hilt  of  which  must  have  been  worth 
;^2000  or  ^3000 ;  one  stone  especially  being  very 
large.  Probably  the  reign  of  terror  might  operate  to 
some  degree  as  a  safeguard  ;  but  the  appearance  of 
the  people  immediately  about  All's  person  indicated 
much  more  confidence  than  fear. 

''Our  ladies  had  been  introduced  into  the  harem. 


VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR  CHARLES  PENROSE  513 

and  to  the  favourite  Fatima,  who,  as  we  were  told,  was 
the  best  scratcher  Ali  ever  had.  One  of  his  chief 
luxuries  was  to  have  his  immense,  coarse  carcase 
scratched  for  a  considerable  time  daily  by  his  female 
friends."" 

The  end  of  this  man,  Ali  Pasha,  may  be  briefly 
told.  He  had  become  independent,  disregarding  the 
authority  of  the  Sultan,  and  a  menace  to  the  State. 
Accordingly  an  army  was  despatched  to  Janina,  and 
a  fleet  to  make  a  descent  on  the  coasts  of  Epirus.  Ali, 
in  spite  of  his  great  age,  exhibited  great  energy,  and 
prepared  to  resist,  but  his  fatal  avarice  stood  in  his 
way.  With  his  enormous  treasures  he  could  have 
secured  the  fidelity  of  his  troops,  but  he  could  not 
make  up  his  mind  to  deal  liberally  with  his  defenders, 
and  most  deserted.  His  own  sons  and  grandsons,  with 
one  exception,  passed  over  into  the  enemy's  camp.  He 
set  the  town  of  Janina  on  fire,  and  retired  himself  into 
the  fortress,  which  was  defended  by  Italian  and  French 
artillerymen,  and  which  bristled  with  cannon.  This 
was  in  August,  1820.  At  the  beginning  of  1821  the 
Sultan  gave  the  command  of  his  forces  to  Khorchid 
Pasha,  and  the  siege  was  begun.  Ali  had  previously 
sunk  one  portion  of  his  treasure  in  the  lake  in  spots 
where  it  could  be  recovered  by  himself  when  the  storm 
blew  over  ;  the  rest  was  in  his  cellar  heaped  up  over 
barrels  of  gunpowder,  and  a  faithful  attendant  stood 
ever  by  with  a  lighted  fuse  in  his  hand.  Khorchid 
was  particularly  desirous  of  securing  the  treasure. 
He  proposed  an  interview  in  an  island  of  the  lake. 
After  some  hesitation  Ali,  who  had  now  but  fifty  men 
in  his  garrison,  consented.  The  interview  took  place 
on  the  5th  February,  1822  ;  Khorchid  had  taken  the 
precaution  to  surround  the  island  with  soldiers,  but 
concealed.  When  they  met,  the  officer  of  the  Sultan 
2  L 


514  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

produced  a  firman  granting  complete  forgiveness  to 
Ali  for  all  his  crimes  and  defiance,  on  condition  that 
he  surrendered  some  of  his  treasures.  Ali  then  drew 
off  his  ring,  handed  it  to  the  general,  and  said,  '*  Show 
that  to  my  slave,  and  he  will  extinguish  the  fuse." 

Ali  was  detained  in  the  palace  on  the  isle  till 
messengers  had  been  sent  to  the  fortress,  and  the 
slave,  obedient  to  the  token,  had  put  out  the  light, 
whereupon  he  was  at  once  stabbed.  When  Khorchid 
knew  that  the  treasure  was  secure,  he  summoned  the 
soldiery,  and  they  fired  into  the  kiosk  from  all  sides 
and  through  the  floor,  till  Ali  was  struck  mortally. 

The  moral  infamies  of  this  man  are  not  to  be  de- 
scribed. 

When  the  negotiations  with  Ali  Pasha  were  ended, 
the  Lord  High  Commissioner  and  the  ladies  returned 
to  Corfu,  and  Sir  Charles  Penrose  went  back  to  his 
fleet. 

He  returned  to  England  in  1819,  being  succeeded  in 
his  command  by  Admiral  Freemantle. 

He  again  made  Ethy  his  home,  taking  occasional 
flights  to  London  to  obtain  some  other  naval  appoint- 
ment, which  would  not  compel  a  severance  from  his 
family,  but  none  was  available,  and,  finally,  as  his 
wife's  health  and  his  own  began  to  fail,  he  was  content 
to  remain  in  his  quiet  Cornish  home.  There  he  died 
January  ist,  1830,  at  the  age  of  seventy;  and  Lady 
Penrose  died  in  1832. 

The  Life  of  Vice-Admiral  Sir  C.  V.  Penrose,  k.c.b., 
together  with  that  of  Captain  James  Trevenen,  was 
written  by  their  nephew,  the  Rev.  John  Penrose,  and 
published  by  John  Murray,  1850,  with  portrait. 


SIR   CHRISTOPHER   HAWKINS,  BART. 

KIT  HAWKINS,  as  he  was  familiarly  termed 
in  Cornwall,  played  a  considerable  part  at 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and 
before  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill,  as 
a  borough-monger.  There  was  a  contemporary  with  a 
similar  reputation,  Manasseh  Lopes,  a  Jew  diamond 
merchant  from  Jamaica,  and  both  purchased  their 
baronetcies  by  subservience  to  the  Government  in  find- 
ing places  for  their  nominees  in  the  pocket  boroughs 
they  had  got  into  their  hands.  When  Manasseh  Lopes 
drove  into  Fowey  with  his  candidates,  the  town  band 
stalked  before  the  carriage  playing  "The  Rogues' 
March  "  ;  when  Kit  Hawkins  arrived  in  Grampound  or 
S.  Ives  with  a  carriage  and  four,  and  his  candidates 
with  him,  the  band  played  "  See  the  Conquering  Hero 
Comes  " — but  he  conquered  not  with  weapons  of  steel, 
but  with  golden  guineas,  handed  over  to  him  by  the 
candidates,  a  share  of  which  passed  to  the  electors. 

The  Cornish  Hawkins  family  pretended  to  derive 
from  a  very  distinguished  Roman  Catholic  stock  in 
Kent,  whose  place,  Nash,  was  plundered  in  17 15  by  the 
rabble,  on  account  of  the  Jacobite  proclivities  of  the 
Hawkins  family  and  the  excitement  caused  by  the  re- 
bellion in  Scotland  of  the  Earl  of  Mar.  On  this 
occasion  all  the  family  plate,  portraits,  and  deeds  were 
carried  off;  some  were  burnt,  some  were  recovered. 

But  not  a  shadow  of  evidence  is  forthcoming  to  show 
that   there  was   any  descent   of  the    Hawkins   family 

515 


5i6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

in  Cornwall  from  that  in  Kent.  The  story  given  out 
was  that  on  account  of  the  religious  persecution  in 
the  time  of  Queen  Mary,  two  of  the  Kent  Hawkinses 
left  the  paternal  nest :  one  settled  in  Somersetshire 
and  the  other  in  Cornwall,  where  each  became  the 
founder  of  a  family.  It  was  forgotten,  when  this  fiction 
was  given  to  the  world,  that  the  Hawkins  stock  in  Kent 
was  Roman  Catholic,  and  not  at  all  likely  to  be  troubled 
by  Queen  Mary. 

The  first  Cornish  Hawkins  of  whom  anything  is 
known  is  Thomas  of  Mevagissey,  who  married  a 
certain  Audrey,  her  surname  unknown,  by  whom  he 
had  two  sons,  John  and  Thomas,  and  three  daughters. 

John  Hawkins,  of  S.  Erth,  the  eldest,  married  Love- 
day,  daughter  of  George  Tremhayle,  by  whom — who 
was  living  in  1676 — he  had  four  surviving  sons  and 
three  daughters,  viz.  Thomas  ;  George,  Vicar  of  Sith- 
ney ;  Reginald,  d.d..  Master  of  Pembroke  College, 
Cambridge  ;  and  Francis.  Thomas,  the  eldest,  of  Tre- 
winnard  in  S.  Erth,  married  Florence,  daughter  of 
James  Praed,  of  Trevethow,  near  Hayle,  by  whom  he 
had  a  daughter,  Florence,  the  wife  of  John  Williams, 
merchant,  of  Helston  ;  and  as  his  second  wife  he  had 
Anne,  daughter  of  Christopher  Bellot,  of  Bodmin,  by 
whom  he  had  six  daughters  and  four  sons,  of  which 
latter,  John,  Thomas,  and  Renatus  died  young,  and 
only  Christopher  lived.  Thomas  Hawkins,  the  father, 
died  in  1716. 

Christopher  Hawkins,  of  Trewinnard,  only  surviving 
son,  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Philip  Hawkins,  of 
Penzance,  a  supposed  descendant  of  the  Hawkinses 
of  Devonshire,  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter,  Jane, 
married  to  Sir  Richard  Vyvyan,  of  Trelowaren,  Bart., 
and  a  son,  Thomas  Hawkins,  of  Trewithen,  M.P.  for 
Grampound,  who   married   Anne,   daughter  of  James 


SIR  CHRISTOPHER  HAWKINS,  BART.    517 

Heywood,  of  London,  by  whom  he  had  four  sons — 
Philip,  who  d.s.p. ;  Christopher;  Thomas,  whod.s.p.; 
John,  of  Bignor,  Sussex,  who  married  the  daughter  of 
Humphrey  Sibthorpe,  M.P.  for  Lincoln — and  a  daugh- 
ter, who  married  Charles  Trelawny,  son  of  General 
Trelawny.  Thomas  Hawkins  died  on  December  ist, 
1770,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  second  son,  Christopher 
Hawkins,  of  Trewithen  and  Trewinnard,  born  at  Tre- 
withen  May,  1758.^  The  seat  Trewithen  in  Probus 
descended  to  his  father  from  his  grandmother's  brother, 
Philip  Hawkins,  M.P.  for  the  pocket  borough  of 
Grampound. 

Christopher  Hawkins  came  in  for  a  good  deal  of 
land,  derived  through  the  marriage  of  the  ancestors  of 
Philip  Hawkins,  of  Trewithen,  with  the  heiresses  of 
Scobell  and  Tredenham  and  that  of  his  own  great- 
grandfather to  the  co-heiress  of  Bellot  of  Bochym. 

Christopher  never  married,  and  was  of  a  frugal 
mind,  buying  land  in  all  directions,  and  securing  the 
pocket  boroughs,  where  possible,  as  excellent  invest- 
ments.    It  was  said  of  Trewithen — 

A  large  park  without  deer, 

A  large  cellar  without  beer, 

A  large  house  without  cheer, 

Sir  Christopher  Hawkins  lives  here. 

But  this  was  not  fair,  for  there  was  certainly  hospi- 
tality shown  at  Trewithen.  Polwhele  says:  "Not  a 
week  before  his  death,  I  passed  a  delightful  day  with 
the  hospitable  baronet.  To  draw  around  him  the  few 
literary  characters  of  his  neighbourhood  was  his 
peculiar  pleasure  ;  and  at  Trewithen  the  clergy  in 
particular  had  always  a  hearty  welcome." 

He  purchased  the  manor  of  S.  Ives  in  or  about  1807, 
the  fair  at  Mitchell,  in  Enoder,  commanding  the  elec- 

^  Baptized  at  Probus  2gth  May,  1758. 


5i8  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

tion  to  that  borough,  and  the  four  fairs  at  Grampound 
giving  him  control  there  also  over  elections. 

A  good  many  of  the  Cornish  boroughs  had  been  so 
constituted  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI  by  the  Protector 
Somerset,  that  he  might  get  his  own  creatures  into 
Parliament.  Such  were  Camelford,  Mitchell,  Newport, 
Saltash,  West  Looe,  Bossiney,  Grampound,  and  Penryn. 
Queen  Mary  raised  S.  Ives  into  a  borough  in  1550,  and 
Elizabeth  created  six  more  to  serve  her  own  political 
purposes,  S.  Germans,  S.  Mawes,  Tregony,  East  Looe, 
Fowey,  and  Callington. 

Mitchell  is  a  mere  hamlet,  and  in  1660  the  franchise 
was  solemnly  transferred  from  the  inhabitants  at  large 
to  nominees  of  the  lord  of  the  manor.  In  1689  it  was 
determined  that  the  right  of  election  lay  in  the  lords  of 
the  borough,  who  were  liable  to  be  chosen  portreeve 
thereof,  and  the  householders  of  the  same  not  receiving 
alms.  But  the  borough  in  the  latter  years  of  its  exist- 
ence became  a  battleground  of  many  combatants,  and 
as  the  right  of  voting  was,  until  1701,  left  in  great 
ambiguity  by  successive  election  committees,  the  result 
of  the  contest  could  never  be  predicted.  In  1701,  the 
right  of  election  for  this  distracted  borough  was  again 
changed.  This  time  it  was  vested  in  the  portreeve  and 
lord  of  the  manor  and  the  inhabitants  paying  scot 
and  lot.  In  1784,  Hawkins  and  Howell  were  elected 
members,  and  sat  in  Parliament  for  Mitchell  for  twelve 
years,  till  1796,  and  Sir  Christopher  became  by  pur- 
chase the  sole  owner  of  the  borough  ;  and  after  Howell 
had  ceased  to  represent  Mitchell,  he  continued  as  its 
representative  to  1806,  when  he  surrendered  his  seat  to 
Arthur  Wellesley,  subsequently  Duke  of  Wellington. 
The  electors  by  this  time  had  been  reduced  to  five.  In 
the  eleven  years,  1807-18,  there  were  nine  elections  at 
Mitchell,  not  owing  to  feuds,  but  retirement  of  members. 


SIR  CHRISTOPHER  HAWKINS,  BART.    519 

No  event  of  importance  occurred  after  1818  to  1832, 
except  the  extraordinary  and  significant  revelation  that 
at  the  contested  election  of  1831,  when  Hawkins  (Sir 
Christopher's  nephew)  got  two  votes,  Kenyon  five,  and 
Best  three.  Five  voters  to  return  two  members.  In 
1833  those  five  electors  found  their  borough  dis- 
franchised, a  fate  it  richly  deserved. 

Penryn  had  been  raised  into  the  position  of  a  borough 
returning  two  members  of  Parliament,  in  1553. 

Mr.  Courtney  says  of  1774:  "About  this  period  the 
borough  of  Penryn  began  to  be  notorious  through  the 
county  for  the  readiness  of  its  voters  to  barter  their 
rights  for  pecuniary  considerations.  The  franchise  was 
on  such  an  extended  basis  that  almost  every  house- 
holder, though  many  of  these  were  labourers,  indigent 
and  ignorant,  was  an  elector. "  In  1807  there  were,  how- 
ever, but  140;  in  1819  they  had  risen  to  328.  Each 
got  a  "  breakfast"  and  ^^24  for  his  vote. 

In  1780,  Sir  Francis  Bassett  gave  a  feast  to  the  whole 
borough  ;  he  continued  his  patronage  till  1807,  as  Lord 
de  Dunstanville.  In  1802  Swann  and  Milford  contested 
a  vacant  seat  in  the  borough,  and  Dunstanville  to 
secure  the  second  seat  had  to  resort  to  putting  faggot- 
voters  on  the  poor-rates,  the  night  before  the  election. 
Petition  being  made  against  the  election,  it  ended  in 
a  compromise,  and  Swann  received  ^^"10,000  besides 
expenses.  Lord  de  Dunstanville,  disgusted  at  the 
expense  and  the  weakening  of  his  influence,  abandoned 
the  borough.  Swann  therepon  gave  a  "breakfast"  to 
his  supporters  ;  a  "  breakfast "  was  synonymous  with  a 
bribe  of  ^24.  Penryn  was  concerned  at  the  retirement 
of  its  lordly  patron,  and  founded  a  club  in  1805  for 
electors,  such  as  would  most  conduce  to  the  pecuniary 
welfare  of  the  voters.  When  the  election  of  1806  was 
imminent   and    the   former   patron    had    withdrawn,   a 


520  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

deputation  of  the  members  was  sent  to  Trewithen  to 
that  notorious  election-monger,  Sir  Kit,  to  tender  to 
him  the  goodwill  of  the  constituency.  "  The  details  of 
the  negotiations  conducted  at  this  interview,"  says  Mr. 
Courtney,  "  became  the  subject  of  subsequent  investiga- 
tion ;  but  it  was  admitted  that  the  voters  stopped  there 
for  four  hours  and  dined  at  the  baronet's  table,  which 
on  this  occasion,  no  doubt,  was  more  freely  supplied  than 
according  to  local  gossip  was  the  custom  on  ordinary 
days.  The  deputation  informed  Sir  Christopher  that 
Mr.  Swann — the  Black  Swan  as  he  was  called  by  his 
enemies — who  had  been  nursing  the  borough  since 
1802,  must  obtain  one  of  the  seats,  but  that  the  other 
was  at  his  disposal.  These  two  worthy  politicians, 
Hawkins  and  Swann,  thereupon  coalesced,  drink  and 
food  were  freely  supplied  ;  two  voters,  one  for  each 
candidate,  went  round  and  gave  each  elector  a  one- 
pound  note  to  drink  their  health  with,  and  the  result 
was  that  on  the  ist  November,  1806,  the  poll  showed  a 
large  majority  for  Swann  and  Hawkins  over  Mr. 
Trevanion  and  his  colleague  William  Wingfield."  A 
petition  followed,  and  the  evidence  was  of  such  a  com- 
promising character  that  Mr.  Serjeant  Lens  abandoned 
the  case  on  behalf  of  Hawkins.  The  evidence  produced 
was  that  the  deputation  of  voters,  headed  by  a  clergy- 
man, which  had  gone  to  Trewithen  to  offer  him  the 
borough,  had  associated  with  Sir  Kit  to  sell  their  votes 
and  interest  for  twenty-four  guineas  apiece  paid  to 
themselves,  and  for  ten  guineas  to  be  handed  to  each  of 
the  overseers,  and  that  the  offer  was  duly  accepted. 
An  address  to  the  King  for  the  prosecution  of  Sir 
Christopher  Hawkins  and  eighteen  members  of  the 
committee  was  carried  to  the  House  of  Commons.  The 
trial  took  place  at  Bodmin  on  the  19th  August,  1808, 
when  Cobbett  attended  in  person  to  watch  the  trial  and 


SIR  CHRISTOPHER  HAWKINS,  BART.    521 

report  proceedings  in  his  Political  Register.  The 
questions  in  dispute  centred  on  the  terms  of  the  agree- 
ment ;  the  chief  witness  swore  that  the  documents 
signed  by  Hawkins  stipulated  that  twenty-four  guineas 
should  be  given  to  each  of  the  leaders  of  the  party,  ten 
guineas  apiece  to  the  two  overseers  and  twenty  shillings 
to  each  of  the  voters.  But  this  evidence  was  un- 
supported, no  other  of  the  committee  could  be  induced 
or  intimidated  into  admitting  that  this  had  been  the 
agreement ;  no  one  in  Penryn  desired  to  kill  the  goose 
that  laid  the  golden  eggs,  and  the  defendant  was  ac- 
quitted, '*to  dabble  in  borough-mongering  for  the  rest 
of  his  life." 

At  the  election  of  1807,  Sir  Christopher  had  no  place 
in  Parliament,  but  Swann  sat  again  for  Penryn. 

In  1812  Hawkins  wooed  the  borough  in  vain,  in 
opposition  to  Philip  Gell.  The  Black  Swan  was  the 
other  member  elected,  but  great  indignation  was 
roused  against  him  when  it  was  found  that  he  had  left 
his  bills  unpaid  for  treating  and  breakfasting  his 
adherents. 

Then  a  committee  approached  Sir  Manasseh  Lopes, 
but  he  declined  to  buy  the  votes  at  the  price  of  ;^200o. 

But  Swann  managed  to  recover  favour  and  increase 
the  number  of  voters  in  his  constituency  by  200  votes, 
and  to  form  a  company  to  provide  granite  from  the 
vicinity  for  Waterloo  Bridge  over  the  Thames,  so  pro- 
viding work  for  the  voters  of  Penryn,  and  Hawkins 
and  Swann  were  returned.  The  usual  petition  fol- 
lowed, and  evidence  of  bribery  came  out.  One  voter 
swore  that  he  had  received  ;^5,  and  his  wife  another 
£<^  ;  another  £"]  ;  and  many  others  various  sums  from 
ten  shillings  to  ten  pounds.  Swann  was  declared 
guilty  and  imprisoned  1819-20. 

In    the  election  of  1827   it  was  admitted  that  ^1850 


522  CORNISH    CHARACTERS  • 

had  been  distributed  among  the  electors.  Seventy- 
votes  had  been  sold  at  ^lo  apiece. 

Grampound  had  had  its  elections  controlled  by  Lord 
Eliot.  In  the  election  of  1796  the  fifty  electors  re- 
ceived for  their  votes  ^3000,  and  the  patron,  Eliot, 
pocketed  ^6000  himself.  The  patronage  was  then 
sold  to  Sir  Kit  Hawkins,  to  whom  a  friend  wrote  in 
1796:  "Fame  speaks  loudly  of  your  doings.  The 
borough,  by  her  own  account,  is  all  your  own,  and 
such  is  certainly  preferable  to  Tregony.  The  small 
number  of  voters  in  one,  and  the  vast  number  in  the 
other,  pulls  down  the  balance  in  favour  of  Grampound, 
and  from  the  continuance  of  Eliot  we  may  infer  that  a 
possession  once  obtained  may  last  forty  or  fifty  years." 

But  after  the  election  of  1806  the  recognized,  nay 
undisputed  patron,  Sir  Christopher,  keeping  voters  in 
his  pay,  and  holding  the  nomination  to  two  seats, 
found  that  his  power  was  weakened.  His  candidate, 
the  Nabob  Fawcett,  did  not  pay  as  he  had  promised. 
The  electors  accordingly  determined  to  transfer  their 
favours  to  some  other  great  man,  and  eventually 
elected  Andrew  C.  Johnstone,  Governor  of  Dominica, 
by  twenty-seven  over  the  Hawkins  candidate,  who 
polled  only  thirteen. 

"  Up  to  this  time,"  says  the  historian,  "  a  decent  veil 
of  reserve  had  been  thrown  over  the  delinquencies  of 
the  Grampound  electors  ;  now  it  was  cast  aside,  and 
their  deformities  were  disclosed  to  the  view  of  the 
whole  political  world.  Enquiry  followed  enquiry,  and 
prosecution  prosecution."  The  borough  engaged  the 
attention  of  members  of  Parliament  and  Press  corre- 
spondents. Great  Cobbett  went  to  Bodmin  in  1808  to 
see  the  trial  of  Sir  Kit,  the  Mayor,  Recorder,  and  four 
capital  Burgesses.  This  petition  unseated  the  anti- 
Hawkins   candidate,    and   a  new  writ  was  issued.     It 


SIR  CHRISTOPHER  HAWKINS,  BART.    523 

was  now  arranged  that  Cochrane,  patron  of  the  anti- 
Kittite,  should  give  ^5000  for  one,  or  ^8400  for  the 
two  seats,  to  be  distributed,  and  that  each  of  the 
elected  should  pay  £11  los.  to  the  wives  of  the  several 
electors.  Each  voter  eventually  did  get  about  ;^8o. 
The  anti-Kittites  polled  twenty-seven,  and  Mr.  Hawkins' 
nominee  fourteen.  What  does  the  Mayor  do  ?  Strike 
off  sufficient  votes  from  the  anti-Kittite,  so  as  to  give 
the  local  baronet  a  majority  of  one,  and  returned  his 
nominees  as  duly  elected.  A  second  petition  restored 
Cochrane. 

Sir  Kit,  discerning  that  his  influence  over  the  electors 
at  Grampound  was  passing  away,  determined  to  increase 
the  number  of  voters.  The  electors  had  consisted  of  an 
indefinite  number  of  freemen  elected  at  Easter  and 
Michaelmas  by  the  eligers.  This  election  was  artfully 
deferred  till  good  Kittites  could  be  secured  to  fill  the 
places  desired. 

In  181 2  Cochrane  was  still  in  possession,  but  he  made 
way  for  Johnston,  associating  Teed  with  him.  This 
man  gave  each  elector  i^ioo  in  promissory  notes.  John- 
ston was,  however,  expelled  the  House  in  18 14  for 
frauds  on  the  Stock  Exchange.  Thereupon  in  came 
Sir  Christopher  Hawkins  again.  He  was  again  brought 
before  the  notice  of  the  House  in  1818,  when  there 
appeared  six  candidates.  Innes  and  Robertson  were 
elected  by  thirty-six  votes  :  the  rest  (eleven)  went  to 
Teed.  After  that,  on  Teed's  petition,  the  whole  secret 
of  the  nefarious  system  came  to  light.  The  voters,  it 
appeared,  had  applied  to  Sir  Kit ;  but  that  worthy 
baronet  was  tired  of  their  solicitations,  and  refused  to 
advance  a  penny.  So  they  turned  to  the  Jew  Manasseh 
Lopes,  who  gave  i^2000  to  be  distributed  among  forty 
electors.  But  when  the  money  arrived,  the  Mayor  inter- 
cepted i^300  for  himself,  another  took  ^"140,  so  that  the 


524  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

rank  and  file  got  only  ^^^35  apiece  instead  of  the 
expected  ^^"50  ;  ;^8ooo  was  paid  privily  by  a  sitting 
member.  Again  a  petition,  and  Manasseh  Lopes  was 
convicted  of  bribery  in  both  Devon  and  Cornwall,  was 
fined  ^10,000,  and  incarcerated  at  Exeter  for  two 
years. 

Lord  John  Russell  was  prepared  to  extirpate  bribery, 
and  in  particular  to  disfranchise  Grampound ;  the 
House  of  Commons  agreed  without  a  dissentient  voice, 
but  the  death  of  George  HI  hindered  proceedings,  and 
the  last  two  members  were  returned. 

S.  Ives  had  been  erected  into  a  borough  by  Philip 
and  Mary  in  1558.  Here,  after  1689,  the  Praeds, 
Whigs,  were  all-powerful.  In  1751,  after  long  being 
stewards  of  the  Earls  of  Buckinghamshire,  the  Stephens 
family  began  to  assert  itself.  Thenceforth  during  the 
long  reign  of  George  Ilia  severe  contest  for  influence 
over  the  elections  was  waged  between  the  two  families. 
In  1774  a  Praed  got  ninety-five  votes,  a  Drummond 
ninety-eight,  and  Stephens  was  left  out  in  the  cold  with 
seventy-one.  But  the  usual  petition  showed  Praed's 
corruption  too  manifestly.  Money  had  been  lent  to 
the  voters,  with  the  tacit  understanding  that  in  the 
event  of  election  it  was  not  to  be  asked  for,  and  forty 
persons,  sure  voters  for  Stephens,  had  been  omitted 
from  the  rates.  In  1806  Sir  Kit  Hawkins,  gained  a 
share  in  representation  ;  his  candidate,  Horner.  But 
Stephens  got  135  votes  and  Horner  128;  the  other 
candidate  opposing  him  was  left  far  in  the  rear,  with 
only  five  votes.  But  Horner  was  out  again  at  the  next 
election.  In  1820  Sir  Christopher  had  the  appoint- 
ment to  both  seats  entirely  in  his  own  hands. 

Tregony  had  been  made  into  a  borough  under  Queen 
Elizabeth  in  1562.  Before  1832  it  was  described  as 
"  destitute  of  trade,  wealth,  and  common  activity." 


SIR  CHRISTOPHER  HAWKINS,  BART.    525 

Writing  in  1877,  the  last  Cornish  historian  remarks 
that  the  condition  of  Tregony  had  passed  from  bad  to 
worse.  Many  of  its  houses  were  then  in  ruins,  and  the 
scene  of  desolation  was  spreading.  In  early  times 
Tregony  had  been  a  seaport  on  a  tidal  creek,  but  that 
was  silted  up,  and  no  boat  could  now  reach  it,  so  that 
its  commercial  importance  was  wholly  gone. 

During  the  eighteenth  century  the  representatives  of 
Tregony  were  men  of  little  importance,  small  place- 
men unconnected  with  Cornwall.  In  the  long  array  of 
aliens  and  Court  satellites,  the  name  of  one  Cornish 
gentleman  stands  out  in  bright  relief;  1747-67,  for 
twenty  years  (a  long  period)  Mr.  Trevanion  repre- 
sented it.  The  election  of  1774  excited  much  notice. 
Lord  North  advised  a  note  to  be  written  to  Lord 
Falmouth:  "His  Lordship  must  be  told  in  as  polite 
terms  as  possible,  that  I  hope  he  will  permit  me  to 
recommend  to  three  of  his  six  seats  in  Cornwall.  The 
terms  he  expects  are  ;^2000  a  seat,  to  which  I  am  ready 
to  agree."  Later  on,  he  says  that  his  candidate 
Pownall  must  get  in  for  Lostwithiel,  and  Conway 
represent  Tregony,  and  he  added  :  "  My  noble  friend 
(Falmouth)  is  rather  shabby,  desiring  guineas  instead 
of  pounds,"  but  signified  his  will  to  pay  rather  than 
drop  the  bargain.  Again  :  "  Gascoyne  shall  have  the 
refusal  of  Tregony  for  ;^iooo,"  and  the  Minister  com- 
plained that  he  saw  no  way  of  bringing  him  in  at  a 
cheaper  rate  than  any  other  servant  of  the  Crown. 

In  1776  the  Boscawen  influence  was  sold  to  Sir 
Kit  Hawkins,  but  he  did  not  retain  it  for  long, 
for  he  disposed  of  it  to  a  Nabob,  Barwell,  and  the 
two  continued  on  friendly  terms.  When  the  living  of 
Cuby  fell  vacant  —  Cuby  is  the  parish  church  of 
Tregony — Sir  Kit  asked  Barwell,  who  now  had  the 
presentation,  to  give  it  to  a  friend  of  his,  alleging  that 


526  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

''he  had  great  interest"  and  assuring  Barwell  that  his 
clerical  friend  would  reside  in  the  place,  and  by  his 
great  activity  in  the  borough  prevent,  if  possible,  any 
opposition  arising  to  Mr.  Barwell.  But  at  the  very 
next  election  Sir  Kit  ran  and  returned  two  members 
against  Barwell. 

In  the  contest  of  1784,  Lord  Kenyon,  a  lawyer, 
obtained  the  seat  by  purchase,  polling  90,  while  his 
two  opponents  got  69  each. 

In  1806  an  O'Callinghan  and  a  Yorkshire  Whig, 
through  Darlington's  interest  polled  against  Barwell's 
interest  102  against  86.  At  this  election  the  following 
trick  was  played.  A  Tregony  tailor  and  publican, 
called  Middlecoat,  offered  to  seat  Sir  Jonathan  Miles  for 
4000  guineas.  At  the  poll  the  returning  officer,  who 
was  biased  or  had  been  tampered  with,  struck  off 
many  good  votes  from  Miles,  and  gave  bad  ones  to 
others.  Sir  Jonathan  petitioned  and,  for  the  expenses 
of  the  petition,  sent  Middlecoat  a  large  sum  of  money, 
and  he  prevented  the  witnesses  from  appearing,  and  the 
sitting  members  were  accordingly  pronounced  to  be 
duly  elected.  Middlecoat  had  secured  ^^"2500  from 
the  sitting  nominees  (Barwellians)  to  keep  back  the 
witnesses,  as  well  as  ;^4200  from  Sir  Jonathan  to  bring 
them  forward. 

In  181 2  O'Callinghan  was  unseated,  and  petitioned, 
showing  that  ;^5ooo  had  been  distributed  among  the 
voters  ;  nevertheless  the  sitting  members  were  received. 
Holmes,  one  of  them,  said — to  show  what  was  the 
degraded  condition  of  the  borough — that  out  of  127 
votes  in  his  favour,  98  had  been  evicted  into  the  street 
the  day  after  the  election,  some  having  been  called  on 
to  pay  their  rents,  but  were  unable  to  do  so  at  the 
moment,  and  others,  whose  annual  rents  were  only  ;^8, 
had  been  mulcted  in  costs  to  the  extent  of  ;^98. 


SIR  CHRISTOPHER  HAWKINS,  BART.    527 

Middlecoat,  and  four  others  of  like  spirit,  went  to 
London  in  181 8  to  search  for  candidates  for  Tregony 
and  Grampound,  offering  the  former  for  ;^6ooo  and 
the  latter  for  j^yooo.  A  banker  and  a  general  came 
down  before  the  election,  but  found  that  the  voters 
would  make  no  promise  unless  the  money  were  paid 
down.  So  they  had  to  return  to  London  "  proclaiming 
their  disappointment  at  every  turn,  and  cursing  the 
scoundrels  who  would  not  trust  them." 

Christopher  Hawkins  was  returned  for  Mitchell  in 
1784,  re-elected  in  1790  and  1796.  In  June,  1799,  he 
vacated  his  seat  by  accepting  the  Stewardship  of  the 
Chiltern  Hundreds.  In  August,  1800,  he  was  elected 
for  Grampound,  again  in  1802  and  1806.  In  1818  he 
was  returned  for  Penryn,  and  in  June,  1821,  for  S.  Ives. 
He  was  created  baronet  on  July  28th,  1791.  He 
was  Recorder  of  Grampound  and  S.  Ives  and,  at  the 
time  when  he  relinquished  his  seat  finally,  he  was  the 
father  of  the  House  of  Commons. 

Sir  Christopher  encouraged  the  famous  engineer  and 
inventor  Richard  Trevithick,  and  in  the  life  of  that 
worthy,  by  Francis  Trevithick,  are  given  some  letters 
that  passed  between  them  ;  but  Mr.  F.  Trevithick  per- 
sistently calls  Sir  Christopher  Sir  Charles.  Sir  Kit 
was  the  first  man  to  adopt  a  steam  thrashing-machine 
in  181 2,  an  invention  of  Trevithick;  it  was  used  for 
the  first  time  at  Trewithen  in  February  in  that  year. 
A  committee  of  experts  was  called  in  to  witness  its 
operations  and  report  on  them,  and  this  is  their  report, 
dated  February  12th,  181 2  : — 

'*  Having  been  requested  to  witness  and  report  on 
the  effect  of  steam  applied  to  work  a  mill  for  thrashing 
corn  at  Trewithen,  we  hereby  testify  that  a  fire  was 
lighted  under  the  boiler  of  the  engine  five  minutes  after 
eight   o'clock,   and   at  twenty-five  minutes   after  nine 


528  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

o'clock  the  thrashing  mill  began  to  work,  in  which  time 
one  bushel  of  coal  was  consumed.  That  from  the  time 
the  mill  began  to  work  to  two  minutes  after  two 
o'clock,  being  four  hours  and  three-quarters,  fifteen 
hundred  sheaves  of  barley  were  thrashed  clean,  and  one 
bushel  of  coal  more  was  consumed.  We  think  there 
was  sufficient  steam  remaining  in  the  boiler  to  have 
thrashed  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  sheaves  more  barley, 
and  the  water  in  the  boiler  was  by  no  means  exhausted. 
We  had  the  satisfaction  to  observe  that  common 
labourers  regulated  the  thrashing  mill,  and  in  a 
moment  of  time  made  it  go  faster,  slower,  or  entirely 
cease  working.  We  approve  of  the  steadiness  and 
the  velocity  with  which  the  machine  worked,  and  in 
every  respect  we  prefer  the  power  of  steam,  as  here 
applied,  to  that  of  horse. 

Matthew  Roberts,  Lansellyn. 

Thos.  Nankevill,  Golden. 

Matthew  Doble,  Barthlever." 

Sir  Christopher  entered  into  negotiation  with  Tre- 
vithick  about  constructing  a  breakwater  to  the  harbour 
at  S.  Ives,  at  Pendinas  Point.  It  was  begun,  but 
never  completed,  owing  to  the  death  of  the  baronet. 
But  a  good  thing  he  did  achieve,  though  done  for  a 
political  purpose,  by  indirect  bribery,  was  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  free  school  at  S.  Ives,  in  Shute  Street ; 
the  charge  of  admission  was  one  penny  per  week,  and 
in  it  navigation  was  taught.  It  was  opened  on  April 
nth,  1822. 

In  the  diary  of  Captain  John  Tregerthen  Short  of  the 
events  taking  place  at  S.  Ives  between  1817  and  1838  we 
have:  "1828,  June  loth.  At  10  a.m.  Sir  Christopher 
Hawkins,  Bart.,  and  Wellesley  Long  Pole,  Esq.,  the 
former  supporting  the  cause  of  the   Right  Hon.    Sir 


SIR  CHRISTOPHER  HAWKINS,  BART.    529 

Charles  Arbuthnot,  attended  at  the  Town  Hall,  where 
Wellesley  Long  Pole,  Esq.,  resigned  the  contest,  and 
Sir  Charles  Arbuthnot  was  elected  without  opposition. 
Immediately  afterwards  Mr.  Wellesley  Pole  made  an 
active  and  successful  canvass  of  the  town  for  another 
election,  and  left  S.  Ives  at  10  p.m.,  having  given  each 
voter  5s.,  and  Sir  Christopher  Hawkins  gave  all  his 
friends  5s." 

**July  2ist.— All  Mr.  Wellesley's  voters  had  a  public 
dinner  ;  each  received  one  guinea  to  defray  the  expense 
of  the  dinner,  which  came  to  7s.  3d.  per  man."  Oh, 
what  a  falling  off  is  here !  Only  5s.  each  voter,  whereas 
elsewhere,  at  Grampound,  Tregony,  Penryn,  and 
Mitchell,  a  free  and  independent  elector  would  turn  up 
his  nose  at  ^10.  But  Captain  Short  does  not  inform  us 
what  the  douceurs  had  been  that  were  paid  previous  to 
the  election. 

Sir  Christopher  Hawkins  died  of  erysipelas  at  Tre- 
withen  on  April  6th,  1829. 

Captain  Short  enters  on  that  day  : — 

"Sir  Christopher  Hawkins,  Bart.,  departed  this 
life  this  morning  in  the  seventy-first  year  of  his 
age.  His  death  will  be  greatly  felt  and  deplored 
by  hundreds.  His  charitable  contributions  amongst 
the  indigent  will  be  found  greatly  wanting.  A 
more  generous  and  benevolent  landlord  could  not 
be  found.  He  was  never  known  to  distrain  for 
rent.  He  established  a  Free  School  in  S.  Ives  for 
the  education  of  the  poor,  and  gave  the  sum  of  ^100 
towards  enlarging  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Chapel 
in  this  town." 

The  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  1830  says  that  Sir  Kit 
Hawkins's  property  at  S.  Ives  was  sold  then,  "which 
secures  the  purchaser  a  seat  in  Parliament,  for  the 
borough   was   lately  sold    by  auction    in    London    for 


530  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

the   sum    of  ^^55,000.      It    is   reported    that    the    pur- 
chaser is  the  Marquess  of  Cleveland." 

A  bad  bargain,  for  three  years  after  the  Reform 
Bill  was  passed,  and  S.  Ives  ceased  to  be  a  pocket 
borough. 


ANNE  JEFFERIES 

MOSES  PITT,  a  publisher  in  London,  a 
native  of  S.  Teath,  in  1696  published 
the  following  letter  to  the  Bishop  of 
Gloucester.  There  are  two  editions  of 
it,  with  slight  and  insignificant  variations  both  in 
the  preliminary  address  and  in  the  account  of  Anne 
Jefferies. 

The  preamble  we  omit. 

*'Anne  Jefferies  (for  that  was  her  maiden  name), 
of  whom  the  following  strange  things  are  related, 
was  born  in  the  parish  of  S.  Teath,  in  the  county  of 
Cornwall,  in  December,  1626,  and  she  is  still  living 
in  1696,  being  in  the  seventieth  year  of  her  age.  She 
is  married  to  one  William  Warren,  formerly  hind  to 
the  late  eminent  physician  Dr.  Richard  Lewes, 
deceased,  and  now  lives  as  a  hind  to  Sir  Andrew 
Slanning,  of  Devon,   Bart. 

*'In  the  year  1691  I  wrote  into  Cornwall  to  my 
sister  Mary  Martyn's  son,  attorney,  to  go  to  the  said 
Anne  and  discourse  her,  as  from  me,  about  the  most 
strange  passages  of  her  life.  He  answers  my  letter 
September  13th,  1691,  and  saith  :  'I  have  been  with 
Anne  Jefferies,  and  she  can  give  me  no  particular 
account  of  her  condition,  it  being  so  long  since.  My 
grandmother  and  mother  say  that  she  was  in  Bodmin 
jail  three  months,  and  lived  six  months  without  meat ; 
and  during  her  continuance  in  that  condition  several 
eminent  cures  were  performed  by  her  ;  the  particulars 

53' 


532  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

no  one  can  now  state.  My  mother  saw  the  fairies  once, 
and  heard  one  say  that  they  should  give  some  meat  to 
the  child,  that  she  might  return  unto  her  parents, 
which  is  the  fullest  relation  can  now  be  given.'  But 
I,  not  being  satisfied  with  the  answer,  did  in  the 
year  1693  write  into  Cornwall  and  my  sister's  husband, 
Mr.  Humphry  Martyn,  and  desired  him  to  go  to  Anne 
Jefferies  to  see  if  he  could  persuade  her  to  give  me 
what  account  she  could  remember  of  the  many  and 
strange  passages  of  her  life.  He  answered  by  letter, 
January  31st,  1693,  and  saith  :  'As  for  Anne  Jefferies, 
I  have  been  with  her  the  greatest  part  of  one  day,  and 
did  read  to  her  all  that  you  wrote  to  me  ;  but  she  would 
not  own  anything  of  it  as  concerning  the  fairies,  neither 
of  the  cures  she  then  did.  I  endeavoured  to  persuade 
her  she  might  receive  some  benefit  by  it.  She  answered 
that  if  her  own  father  were  now  alive  she  would  not 
discover  to  him  those  things  which  did  happen  to  her. 
I  asked  her  the  reason  why  she  would  not  do  it ;  she 
replied  that  if  she  should  discover  it  to  you,  that  you 
would  make  either  books  or  ballads  of  it ;  and  she  said 
that  she  would  not  have  her  name  spread  about  the 
country  in  books  or  ballads,  or  such  things,  if  she 
might  have  ;^5oo  for  doing  it ;  for  she  said  she  had 
been  questioned  before  justices,  and  at  the  sessions, 
and  in  prison,  and  also  before  the  judges  at  the  assizes, 
and  she  doth  believe  that  if  she  should  discover  such 
things  now  she  would  be  questioned  again  for  it.  As 
for  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  S.  Teath  Church-town, 
there  are  none  of  them  now  alive  but  Thomas 
Christopher,  a  blind  man.  (Note  :  This  Thomas 
Christopher  was  then  a  servant  in  my  father's  house, 
when  these  things  happened,  and  he  remembers  many 
of  the  passages  you  write  of  her.)  And  as  for  my  wife, 
she  then  being  so  little  did  not  mind  it,  but  heard  her 


ANNE   JEFFERIES  533 

father  and  mother  relate  most  of  the  passages  you 
wrote  of  her.' 

''  This  is  all  I  can,  at  present,  possibly  get  from  her, 
and  therefore  I  now  go  on  with  my  relation  of  the 
wonderful  cures  and  other  strange  things  she  did, 
or  happened  to  her,  which  is  the  substance  of  what 
I  wrote  to  my  brother  and  that  he  read  to  her. 

*'  It  is  the  custom  in  our  county  of  Cornwall  for 
the  most  substantial  people  of  each  parish  to  take 
apprentices  the  poor  children,  and  to  breed  them  up 
till  they  attain  to  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  for  their 
services  to  give  them  meat,  drink,  and  clothes.  This 
Anne  Jefferies,  being  a  poor  man's  child  of  the  parish, 
by  Providence  fell  into  our  family,  where  she  lived 
many  years.  Being  a  girl  of  a  bold,  daring  spirit,  she 
would  venture  at  those  difficulties  and  dangers  that  no 
boy  would  attempt. 

"  In  the  year  1645  (she  being  nineteen  years  old),  she 
being  one  day  knitting  in  an  arbour  in  our  garden, 
there  came  over  the  hedge  to  her,  as  she  affirmed,  six 
persons  of  small  stature,  all  clothed  in  green,  which 
she  called  fairies.  Upon  which  she  was  so  frightened 
that  she  fell  into  a  kind  of  convulsive  fit.  But  when  we 
found  her  in  this  condition,  we  brought  her  into  the 
house  and  put  her  to  bed,  and  took  great  care  of  her. 
As  soon  as  she  recovered  out  of  her  fit  she  cried  out, 
'  They  are  just  gone  out  of  the  window  !  Do  you  not 
see  them  ? '  And  thus  in  the  height  of  her  sickness  she 
would  often  cry  out,  and  that  with  eagerness,  which 
expressions  were  attributed  to  her  distemper,  supposing 
her  light-headed.  During  the  extremity  of  her  sick- 
ness my  father's  mother  died,  which  was  in  April, 
1646  ;  he  durst  not  acquaint  our  maid  Anne  of  it  for 
fear  it  might  have  increased  her  distemper,  she  being 
at  that  time  so  very  sick  that  she  could  not  go,  nor 


534  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

so  much  as  stand  on  her  feet ;  and  also  the  extrem- 
ity of  her  sickness,  and  the  long  continuance  of  her  dis- 
temper had  almost  perfectly  moped  her,  so  that  she 
became  even  as  a  changeling  ;  and  as  soon  as  she  began 
to  recover,  or  to  get  a  little  strength,  she  in  her  going 
would  spread  her  legs  as  wide  as  she  could,  and 
so  lay  hold  with  her  hands  on  tables,  chairs,  forms, 
stools,  etc.,  till  she  had  learnt  to  go  again  ;  and  if 
anything  vexed  her,  she  would  fall  into  her  fits,  and 
continue  in  them  for  a  long  time,  so  that  we  were 
afraid  she  would  have  died  in  one  of  them. 

'*As  soon  as  she  recovered  a  little  strength  she 
constantly  went  to  church  to  pay  her  devotions  to 
our  great  and  good  God.  She  took  mighty  delight  in 
devotion  and  in  hearing  the  Word  of  God  read  and 
preached,  although  she  herself  could  not  read.  The 
first  manual  operation  or  cure  she  performed  was  on 
my  mother.  The  occasion  was  as  follows  :  One  after- 
noon in  the  harvest  time,  all  our  family  being  in  the 
fields  at  work  (and  myself  a  boy  at  school),  there  was 
none  in  the  house  but  my  mother  and  this  Anne.  My 
mother,  considering  that  bread  might  be  a-wanting  for 
the  labourers,  if  care  were  not  taken,  and  she  having 
before  caused  some  bushels  of  wheat  to  be  sent  to  the 
mill,  which  was  but  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  our 
house,  desired  to  hasten  the  miller  to  bring  home  the 
meal,  that  so  her  maids  as  soon  as  they  came  from  the 
fields  might  make  and  bake  the  bread;  but  in  the 
meantime  how  to  dispose  of  her  maid  Anne  was  her 
great  care,  for  she  did  not  dare  trust  her  in  the  house 
alone,  for  fear  she  might  do  herself  some  mischief  by 
fire,  or  set  the  house  on  fire,  for  at  that  time  she  was 
so  weak  that  she  could  hardly  help  herself,  and  very 
silly  withal.  At  last,  by  much  persuasion,  my 
mother  prevailed  with  her  to  walk  in  the  gardens  and 


ANNE   JEFFERIES  535 

orchard  till  she  came  from  the  mill,  to  which  she 
willingly  consented.  Then  my  mother  locked  the  door 
of  the  house  and  walked  to  the  mill  ;  but  as  she  was 
coming  home,  she  slipped  and  hurt  her  leg,  so  as  that 
she  could  not  rise.  There  she  lay  a  considerable  time 
in  great  pain,  till  a  neighbour,  coming  by  on  horse- 
back, seeing  my  mother  in  this  condition,  lifted  her 
upon  his  horse.  As  soon  as  she  was  brought  within 
doors  of  the  house,  word  was  sent  into  the  fields  to  the 
reapers,  who  thereupon  immediately  left  their  harvest 
work  and  came  home.  The  house  being  presently  full 
of  people,  a  man-servant  was  ordered  to  take  a  horse 
and  ride  for  Mr.  Lobb,  an  eminent  surgeon  who  then 
lived  at  Bodmin,  which  was  eight  miles  from  my 
father's  house.  But,  while  the  man  was  getting  the 
horse  ready,  in  comes  our  maid  Anne,  and  tells  my 
mother  that  she  was  heartily  sorry  for  the  mischance  she 
had  got  in  hurting  her  leg,  and  that  she  did  it  at  such  a 
place,  naming  the  place,  and  further,  she  desired  she 
might  see  her  leg.  My  mother  at  first  refused  to  show 
her  leg,  saying  to  her.  What  should  she  show  her  leg 
to  so  poor  and  silly  a  creature  as  she  was,  for  she 
could  do  her  no  good.  But  Anne  being  very  im- 
portunate with  my  mother  to  see  her  leg,  and  my 
mother  being  unwilling  to  vex  her  by  denying  her,  for 
fear  of  her  falling  into  her  fits,  for  at  all  times  we  dealt 
gently,  lovingly,  and  kindly  with  her,  did  yield  to  her 
request,  and  did  show  her  her  leg. 

"  Upon  which  Anne  took  my  mother's  leg  upon  her 
lap  and  stroked  it  with  her  hand,  and  then  asked  my 
mother  if  she  did  not  find  ease  by  her  stroking  of  it? 
My  mother  confessed  to  her  she  did.  Upon  this  she 
desired  my  mother  to  forbear  sending  for  the  surgeon, 
for  she  would,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  cure  her 
leg.     And  to  satisfy  my  mother  of  the  truth  of  it,  she 


536  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

again  appealed  to  my  mother  whether  she  did  not  find 
further  ease  upon  her  continued  stroking  of  the  part 
affected.  Which  my  mother  again  acknowledged  she 
did.  Upon  this  my  mother  countermanded  the  mes- 
senger for  the  surgeon.  On  this  my  mother  demanded 
of  her  how  she  came  to  the  knowledge  of  her  fall.  She 
made  answer  that  half  a  dozen  persons  had  told  her 
of  it.  'That,'  replied  my  mother,  'could  not  be,  for 
there  were  none  came  by  at  that  time  but  my  neigh- 
bour, who  brought  me  home.'  Anne  answers  again 
that  that  was  truth,  and  it  was  also  true  that  half  a 
dozen  persons  told  her  so,  for,  said  she,  '  you  know 
I  went  out  of  the  house  into  the  garden  and  orchard 
very  unwillingly  ;  and  now  I  will  tell  you  the  truth 
of  all  matters  and  things  that  have  befallen  me.  You 
know  that  this  my  sickness  and  fits  came  very  suddenly 
upon  me,  which  brought  me  very  low  and  weak,  and 
have  made  me  very  simple.  Now  the  cause  of  my 
sickness  was  this  :  I  was  one  day  knitting  of  stockings 
in  the  arbour  of  the  garden,  and  there  came  over  the 
garden  hedge  of  a  sudden  six  small  people,  all  in  green 
clothes,  which  put  me  into  such  a  great  fright  that 
was  the  cause  of  my  sickness  ;  and  they  continue  their 
appearance  to  me,  never  less  than  two  at  a  time  nor 
more  than  eight.  They  always  appear  in  even  num- 
bers— 2,  4,  6,  8.  When  I  said  often  in  my  sickness 
they  were  just  gone  out  of  the  window,  it  was  really 
so,  although  you  thought  me  light-headed.  At  this 
time,  when  I  came  out  into  the  garden,  they  came  to 
me  and  asked  me  if  you  had  put  me  out  of  the  house 
against  my  will.  I  told  them  I  was  unwilling  to  come 
out  of  the  house.  Upon  this  they  said  you  should  not 
fare  better  for  it,  and  thereupon,  in  that  place  and 
at  that  time,  in  a  fair  pathway  you  fell  and  hurt  your 
leg.     I  would  not  have  you  send  for  a  surgeon   nor 


ANNE   JEFFERIES  537 

trouble  yourself,  for  I  will  cure  your  leg.'  The  which 
she  did  in  a  little  time. 

''This  cure  of  my  mother's  leg,  and  the  stories  she 
told  of  those  fairies,  made  a  noise  all  over  the  county 
of  Cornwall.  People  of  all  distempers,  sicknesses, 
sores,  and  ages  came  not  only  so  far  off  as  the  Land's 
End,  but  also  from  London,  and  were  cured  by  her. 
She  took  no  money  of  them  nor  any  reward  that 
ever  I  knew  or  heard  of,  yet  had  she  monies  at  all 
times,  sufficient  to  supply  her  wants.  She  neither  made 
nor  bought  any  medicines  or  salves  that  ever  I  saw 
or  heard  of,  yet  wanted  them  not  as  she  had  occasion. 
She  forsook  eating  our  victuals  and  was  fed  by  those 
fairies  from  the  harvest  time  to  the  next  Christmas 
Day,  upon  which  day  she  came  to  our  table  and  said 
because  it  was  that  day  she  would  eat  some  roast  beef 
with  us,  the  which  she  did,  I  myself  being  then  at  the 
table. 

"One  time  (I  remember  it  perfectly  well)  I  had  a 
mind  to  speak  with  her,  and  not  knowing  better  where 
to  find  her  than  in  her  chamber,  I  went  thither,  and 
fell  a-knocking  very  earnestly  at  her  chamber  door  with 
my  foot,  and  calling  to  her  earnestly  '  Anne  !  Anne  ! 
open  the  door  and  let  me  in.'  She  answered  me,  '  Have 
a  little  patience  and  I  will  let  you  in,  immediately.' 
Upon  which  I  looked  through  the  keyhole  of  the  door 
and  saw  her  eating  ;  and  when  she  had  done  eating 
she  stood  still  by  the  bedside  as  long  as  thanks  might 
be  given,  and  then  she  made  a  courtesy  (or  bend)  and 
opened  the  chamber  door,  and  gave  me  a  piece  of  the 
bread,  which  I  did  eat,  and  I  think  it  was  the  most 
delicious  bread  that  ever  I  did  eat,  either  before  or 
since. 

"Another  odd  passage,  which  I  must  relate,  was 
this  :  One  Lord's  Day,  my  father  with  his  family  being 


53'S  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

at  dinner  in  our  hall,  comes  in  one  of  our  neighbours, 
whose  name  was  Francis  Heathman,  and  asked  where 
Anne  was.  We  told  him  she  was  in  her  chamber. 
Upon  this  he  goes  into  her  chamber  to  see  her,  but,  not 
seeing  her,  he  calls  her.  She  not  answering,  he  feels  up 
and  down  the  chamber  for  her,  but  not  finding  her, 
comes  and  tells  us  she  was  not  in  her  chamber.  As 
soon  as  he  had  said  this,  she  comes  out  of  her  chamber 
to  us,  as  we  were  sitting  at  table,  and  tells  him  she  was 
in  her  chamber  and  saw  him  and  heard  him  call  her, 
and  saw  him  feel  up  and  down  the  chamber  for  her,  and 
had  almost  felt  her,  but  he  could  not  see  her,  although 
she  saw  him,  notwithstanding  she  was,  at  the  same 
time,  at  the  table  in  her  chamber,  eating  her  dinner. 

"  One  day  these  fairies  gave  my  sister  (the  new  wife 
of  Mr.  Humphry  Martyn)  then  about  four  years  of  age, 
a  silver  cup,  which  held  about  a  quart,  bidding  her  give 
it  my  mother,  and  she  did  bring  it  my  mother ;  but  my 
mother  would  not  accept  of  it,  but  bid  her  carry  it  to 
them  again  ;  which  she  did.  I  presume  this  was  the 
time  my  sister  owns  she  saw  the  fairies.  I  confess  to 
your  lordship,  I  never  did  see  them.  I  had  almost 
forgot  to  tell  your  lordship,  that  Anne  would  tell  what 
people  would  come  to  her,  several  days  before  they 
came,  and  from  whence,  and  at  what  time  they  would 
come. 

'*  I  have  seen  Anne  in  the  orchard,  dancing  among 
the  trees,  and  she  told  me  she  was  then  dancing  with 
the  fairies. 

"The  great  noise  of  the  many  strange  cures  Anne 
did,  and  also  her  living  without  eating  our  victuals,  she 
being  fed,  as  she  said,  by  these  fairies,  caused  both  the 
neighbouring  magistrates  and  ministers  to  resort  to  my 
father's  house,  and  talk  with  her,  and  strictly  examine 
her  about  the  matter  here  related  ;  and  she  gave  them 


ANNE   JEFFERIES  539 

very  rational  answers  to  all  their  questions  they  then 
asked  her  ;  for  by  this  time  she  was  well  recovered  out 
of  her  sickness  and  fits,  and  her  natural  parts  and 
understanding  much  improved,  my  father  and  all  his 
family  affirming  the  truth  of  all  she  said. 

"The  ministers  endeavouring  to  persuade  her  they 
were  evil  spirits  resorted  to  her,  and  that  it  was  the 
delusions  of  the  devil.  But  how  could  that  be  when  she 
did  no  hurt,  but  good  to  all  who  came  to  her  for  cure  of 
their  distempers?  and  advised  her  not  to  go  to  them 
when  they  called  her.  However,  that  night  after  the 
magistrates  and  ministers  were  gone,  my  father,  with  his 
family,  sitting  at  a  great  fire  in  the  hall,  Anne  being 
also  present,  she  spake  to  my  father  and  said,  '  Now  they 
call  ! '  meaning  the  fairies.  We  all  of  us  urged  her  not 
to  go.  In  less  than  half  a  quarter  of  an  hour  she  said, 
'  Now  they  call  a  second  time  ! '  We  encouraged  her 
again  not  to  go  to  them.  By  and  by  she  said,  '  Now 
they  call  a  third  time  ! '  Upon  which,  away  to  her 
chamber  she  went  to  them.  Of  all  these  calls  of  the 
fairies,  none  heard  them  but  Anne.  After  she  had  been 
in  the  chamber  some  time,  she  came  to  us  again  with 
a  Bible  in  her  hand,  and  tells  us  that  when  she  came  to 
the  fairies,  they  said  to  her,  '  What,  hath  there  been 
some  magistrates  and  ministers  to  you,  and  dissuaded 
you  from  coming  any  more  to  us,  saying  we  are  evil 
spirits,  and  that  it  is  all  delusions  of  the  devil  ?  Pray 
desire  them  to  read  in  the  ist  Epistle  of  S.  John, 
chapter  4,  verse  i,  '*  Dearly  beloved,  believe  not  every 
spirit,  but  try  the  spirits  whether  they  be  of  God.'" 
This  place  of  Scripture  was  turned  down  to  in  the  said 
Bible.  I  told  your  lordship  before,  Anne  could  not 
read. 

**  After  this,  one  John  Tregeagle,  Esq.,  who  was 
steward  to  John,  Earl  of  Radnor,  being  then  a  Justice 


540  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

of  Peace  in  Cornwall,  sent  his  warrant  for  Anne,  and 
sent  her  to  Bodmin  jail,  and  there  kept  her  a  long  time. 
That  day  the  constable  came  to  execute  his  warrant, 
Anne  milking  the  cows,  the  fairies  appeared  to  her  and 
told  her  that  a  constable  would  come  that  day  with 
a  warrant  to  carry  her  before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
she  would  be  sent  to  jail.  She  asked  them  if  she 
should  hide  herself.  They  answered.  No,  she  should 
fear  nothing,  but  go  with  the  constable.  So  she  went 
with  the  constable  to  the  justice,  and  he  sent  her  to 
Bodmin  jail  and  ordered  the  prison-keeper  that  she 
should  be  kept  without  victuals  ;  and  she  was  so  kept, 
and  yet  she  lived,  and  that  without  complaining. 
When  the  sessions  came,  the  justices  of  the  peace  sent 
their  warrant  to  one  Giles  Bawden,  a  neighbour  of 
ours,  who  was  then  a  constable,  for  my  mother  and 
myself  to  appear  before  them,  at  the  sessions,  to 
answer  such  questions  as  should  be  demanded  of  us 
about  our  poor  maid  Anne. 

"  Bodmin  was  eight  miles  from  my  father's.  When 
we  came  to  the  sessions,  the  first  who  was  called  in 
before  the  justices  was  my  mother.  What  questions 
they  asked  her  I  do  not  remember.  When  they  had 
done  examining  her,  they  desired  her  to  withdraw. 
As  soon  as  she  came  forth  I  was  brought  in,  and  called 
to  the  upper  end  of  the  table  to  be  examined,  and  there 
was  the  clerk  of  the  peace,  with  the  pen  ready  in  his 
hand,  to  take  my  examination.  The  first  question  they 
asked  me  was,  'What  have  you  got  in  your  pockets?' 
I  answered,  'Nothing,  sir,  but  my  cuffs':  which  I 
immediately  plucked  out  and  I  showed  them.  The 
second  question  to  me  was,  If  I  had  any  victuals  in 
my  pockets  for  my  maid  Anne?  I  answered  I  had 
not  ;  and  so  they  dismissed  me,  as  well  as  my  mother. 
But  poor  Anne  lay  in  jail  for  a  considerable  time  after  ; 


ANNE   JEFFERIES  541 

and  also  Justice  Tregeagle,  who  was  her  great  perse- 
cutor, kept  her  in  his  house  some  time  as  a  prisoner, 
and  that  without  victuals.  And  at  last  when  Anne  was 
discharged  out  of  prison,  the  justice  made  an  order 
that  Anne  should  not  live  any  more  with  my  father. 
Whereupon  my  father's  only  sister,  Mrs.  Frances  Tom, 
a  widow,  near  Padstow,  took  Anne  into  her  family, 
and  there  she  lived  a  considerable  time  and  did  many 
cures  ;  but  what  they  were,  my  kinsman,  Mr.  William 
Tom,  who  there  lived  in  the  house  with  his  mother, 
can  give  your  lordship  the  best  account  of  any  I  know 
living,  except  Anne  herself.  And  from  hence  she  went 
to  live  with  her  own  brother,  and,  in  process  of  time, 
married,  etc. 

"  I    am   your    lordship's   most   humble   and   dutiful 

servant, 

"  Moses  Pitt. 
*^  May  ist,  1699." 

There  are  several  points  to  be  considered  in  this 
curious  story.  It  is  written  in  all  good  faith,  and  is 
an  honest  account  of  what  Pitt  remembered  of  events 
that  took  place  some  fifty  years  previously,  when  he 
was  a  boy. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  first  portion  of  the  story  that 
cannot  be  explained  without  the  intervention  of  fairies 
or  pixies  ;  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  account  for  Anne's 
abstaining  wholly  from  the  food  of  mortals  like  herself 
and  being  sustained  on  fairy  food.  It  is  not  uncommon 
for  women  to  pretend  that  they  do  not  eat ;  there  have 
been  many  "fasting  girls,"  but  all  have  been  shown 
up  to  be  impostors.  In  this  case,  however,  Anne 
Jefferies  did  not  pretend  to  be  a  fasting  girl,  but  to  be 
nourished  by  fairies.  In  the  house  of  the  Pitts  she 
might  have  surreptitiously  procured  food,  but  this  she 


542  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

could  not  do  in  the  jail  at  Bodmin,  nor  in  the  house 
of  Justice  Tregeagle. 

As  to  the  cures  she  wrought,  they  are  to  be  put  in 
the  same  category  as  faith  cures  all  the  world  over, 
whether  performed  at  Lourdes,  or  by  Christian  scien- 
tists, or  by  Shamans  in  the  steppes  of  Tartary. 

Moses  Pitt,  the  writer  of  the  letter,  was  the  son  of 
John  Pitt,  yeoman,  of  S.  Teath  ;  he  was  bound  appren- 
tice to  Robert  Litterbury,  citizen  and  haberdasher,  in 
London,  for  seven  years  from  October  ist,  1654.  ^^ 
became  a  foreman  of  the  Haberdashers'  Company 
8th  November,  1661,  and  started  as  a  publisher  and 
speculative  builder.  In  1680  he  began  to  issue  The 
English  Atlas  at  his  shop  "The  Angel,"  in  S.  Paul's 
Churchyard.  It  was  to  be  in  twelve  volumes,  and  was 
dedicated  to  the  King,  but  was  never  completed,  as  he 
got  into  difficulties.  In  the  first  place  he  became  sole 
executor  to  a  Captain  Richard  Mill,  who  had  tenant 
right  to  the  "  Blue  Boar's  Head,"  in  King  Street,  West- 
minster, at  an  annual  rent  of  £20.  Pitt  had  to  pay 
this,  and  also  Captain  Mill's  widow  an  annuity  of  ;^50. 
But  he  found  the  "Blue  Boar's  Head "  so  dilapidated  that 
he  had  to  rebuild  it  at  a  heavy  outlay  before  he  could 
let  it.  Then  he  had  a  quarrel  with  a  neighbour  about 
a  party  wall  he  was  rebuilding,  leading  to  law  pro- 
ceedings, and  Pitt  was  cast  in  costs  and  damages.  But 
his  most  serious  loss  was  entailed  by  his  building  a 
house  for  Lord  Chancellor  Jeffreys,  which  that  judge 
agreed  to  take  at  ;^300  per  annum.  As  part  of  the 
land  on  which  it  was  to  be  built  was  Crown  property, 
Jeffreys  guaranteed  Pitt  that  he  would  obtain  a  lease 
for  ninety-nine  years  of  it,  and  bade  him  hurry  on  the 
building.  When  Pitt  had  spent  ;^40oo  on  it,  Jeffreys 
was  disgraced  and  fell,  owing  to  the  flight  of  James  II 
and  the  advent  of  William  of  Orange.     Pitt,  greatly 


ANNE   JEFFERIES  543 

embarrassed  for  money,  fled  to  Ireland  ;  he  mortgaged 
his  estates  for  ^3000,  but  as  his  creditors  were  not 
satisfied,  he  was  finally  arrested  and  sent  to  the  Fleet 
Prison  April  i8th,  1689,  where  he  remained  till  the 
i6th  May,  1691,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  King's 
Bench. 

He  published  in  the  same  year  *'The  Cry  of  the 
Oppressed,  being  a  true  and  tragical  account  of  the 
unparallel'd  suffering  of  multitudes  of  poor  imprisoned 
debtors  in  most  of  the  gaols  of  England,  under  the 
tyranny  of  the  gaolers  and  other  oppressors.  .  .  .  To- 
gether with  the  case  of  the  Publisher."  The  sufferings 
of  the  debtors  he  knew  by  personal  experience,  and  his 
revelation  is  one  of  horrors  perpetrated  in  the  Fleet 
and  elsewhere,  and  illustrated  with  very  graphic  copper- 
plates. His  account  of  his  own  troubles  occupies  sixty- 
seven  pages,  and  shows  him  to  have  been  a  reckless 
speculator.  Having  been  educated  as  a  haberdasher, 
he  undertook  to  be  a  publisher,  and  simultaneously  to 
be  a  builder. 

He  probably  obtained  his  release  before  1695,  as  in 
that  year  he  published  a  letter  relative  to  some  dis- 
courses upon  Dr.  Burnet  and  Dr.  Tillotson,  by  a  parson 
named  George  Hicker,  d.d.,  and  in  1696  he  wrote  the 
account  of  Anne  Jefferies,  given  above.  He  was  married 
to  a  Miss  Upman.  The  date  of  his  death  is  not  known. 
Justice  Tregeagle,  who  was  the  special  ''persecutor"  of 
Anne  Jefferies,  is  very  well  remembered  in  Cornish 
legend.  He  was  a  particularly  wicked  man  and  harsh 
steward,  and  lies  buried  near  the  chancel  of  S.  Breock. 
His  home  was  Trevorder,  in  that  parish. 


THOMAS    KILLIGREW,  THE 
KING'S   JESTER 

THE  Killigrew  family  seems  to  have  possessed 
a  great  hankering  after  the  stage,  for  four  of 
them  were  playwrights.  Indeed,  Henry 
Killigrew,  educated  at  Christ  Church,  Ox- 
ford, began  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  when  a  play  written 
by  him  was  performed  at  the  nuptials  of  Lord 
Charles  Herbert  with  Lady  Mary  Villiers,  at  the  Black 
Friars.  Some  critics  present  objected  that  one  of  the 
characters,  representing  a  boy  of  seventeen,  talked  too 
freely  for  his  age,  and  Falkland  replied  ''that  it  was 
neither  monstrous  nor  impossible  for  one  of  seventeen 
years  to  speak  at  such  a  rate  ;  when  he  that  made  him 
speak  in  that  manner,  and  who  wrote  the  whole  play, 
was  himself  no  older." 

Sir  William  Killigrew,  Knt.,  who  was  loyal  to 
Charles  I,  and  stood  high  in  favour  with  Charles  H, 
usher  of  the  privy  chamber  and  vice-chamberlain  to 
the  Queen,  also  wrote  plays,  tragi-comedies,  but  they 
do  not  appear  to  have  taken  with  the  public. 

But  the  man  who  was  most  stage-stricken  of  the  family 
was  Thomas,  the  fourth  son  of  Sir  Robert  Killigrew,  born 
in  1611.  He  became  early  in  life  page  of  honour  to 
Charles  I,  and  he  attended  Charles  II  when  in  exile. 
At  this  period,  when  Charles  was  sorely  in  need  of 
money,  Thomas  Killigrew  was  despatched  as  "Resi- 
dent" to  Venice,  in  1652,  *'  to  borrow  money  of  English 

544 


/( 


THOMAS  KILLIGREW,  KING'S  JESTER    545 

merchants  for  his  (Charles's)  owne  subsistence,"  and 
'*to  press  the  Duke  to  furnish  Us  with  a  present  some 
(sum)  of  money  and  we  will  engage  ourselves  by  any 
Act  or  Acts  to  repay  with  interest,  and  so  likewise  for 
any  Arms  or  Ammunition  he  shall  be  pleased  to  furnish 
Us  withall.  The  summe  you  shall  move  him  to  fur- 
nish Us  with  shall  be  Ten  thousand  PistoUs." 

According  to  Hyde,  Charles  misdoubted  the  suit- 
ableness of  Killigrew  for  this  delicate  negotiation  ;  and 
was  finally  prevailed  to  send  him,  simply  to  gratify 
Tom. 

The  misgivings  of  the  Prince  were  justified,  for 
Killigrew  and  his  servants  behaved  so  badly  at  Venice 
that  the  Doge,  Francisco  Erizzo,  had  to  complain 
through  his  ambassador. 

Sir  Edward  Hyde,  in  a  letter  to  Sir  Richard  Browne, 
wrote:  ''I  have  informed  the  Kinge  of  the  Venetian 
Ambassador's  complainte  against  Mr.  Killigrew,  with 
which  His  Majesty  is  very  much  troubled,  and  resolves 
upon  his  returne  hither  to  examyne  his  miscarriage, 
and  to  proceed  therein  in  such  a  manner  as  shall  be 
worthy  of  him,  and  as  may  manifest  his  respecte  to 
that  Commonwealth,  with  which  the  Crowne  of 
Englande  hath  alwayes  held  a  very  stricte  amity,  and 
His  Majesty's  Ministers  have  in  all  places  preserved  a 
very  good  correspondence  with  the  Ministers  of  that 
State,  and  therefore  His  Majesty  is  more  sensible  of 
this  misdemeanour  of  his  Resident." 

On  Killigrew's  return  to  the  Court  of  S.  Germain, 
Sir  John  Denham  addressed  him  in  these  lines  : — 

Our  Resident  Tom 

From  Venice  has  come, 
And  has  left  the  Statesman  behind  him  ; 

Talks  at  the  same  pitch, 

Is  as  wise,  is  as  rich. 
And  just  where  you  left  him,  you  find  him. 
2    N 


546  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

But  who  says  he  is  not 

A  man  of  much  plot, 
May  repent  of  this  false  accusation  ; 

Having  plotted  and  penn'd 

Six  plays  to  attend 
The  Farce  of  his  negotiation. 

But  although  Charles  might  put  on  an  appearance  of 
being  indignant,  and  though  he  was  vexed  that  Tom 
did  not  return  laden  with  **  pistolls,"  he  was  too  careless 
and  too  fond  of  being  entertained  to  part  with  his 
principal  buffoon.  But  thenceforth  he  employed  him 
mainly  in  transactions  about  wine,  canary  and  sack,  of 
which  the  Prince  needed  much. 

The  story  is  told  of  Louis  XIV  that  he  had  heard 
much  of  the  wit  of  Tom  Killigrew,  and  sent  for  him  to 
Versailles,  where  he  talked  to  him,  but  could  elicit 
nothing  from  him.  Thinking  that  this  proceeded  from 
shyness  he  drew  him  apart,  and  led  him  into  the 
gallery  to  show  him  the  pictures.  There  he  asked  him 
if  he  knew  what  they  represented.  Tom  expressed  his 
ignorance,  whereupon  the  King  led  him  before  a  paint- 
ing of  the  Crucifixion,  and  asked  him  what  that  repre- 
sented. "I  believe,  your  Majesty,"  replied  Tom, 
"that  it  is  a  picture  of  Christ  between  two  thieves." 

'*  And  who  might  they  be?" 

"  Your  Majesty  and  the  Pope,"  replied  the  audacious 
jester. 

The  first  wife  of  Thomas  Killigrew  was  Cecilia,  a 
daughter  of  Sir  John  Crofts,  of  Saxham,  in  Suffolk, 
and  he  was  married  to  her  on  June  29th,  1636. 

The  weather  on  the  wedding  day  was  rude  and 
boisterous,  which  gave  rise  to  some  lines  by  Thomas 
Carew  : — 

Such  should  this  day  be  ;  so  the  sun  should  hide 
His  bashful  face,  and  let  the  conquering  bride 
Without  a  rivall  shine,  whilst  he  forbears 
To  mingle  his  unequall  beams  with  hers  ; 


THOMAS  KILLIGREW,  KING'S  JESTER    547 

Or  if  sometime  he  glance  his  squinting-  eye 
Between  the  parting  clouds,  'tis  but  to  spye, 
Not  emulate  her  glories  ;  so  comes  drest 
In  vayles,  but  as  a  masquer  to  the  feast." 

She  brought  her  husband  a  fortune  of  ;^io,ooo,  and  a 
son  and  heir,  Henry,  born  in  April,  1637.  She  was 
buried  the  5th  January,  1638,  in  Westminster  Abbey. 
Tom  married  again,  when  in  exile,  at  the  Hague,  and 
his  second  wife  was  Charlotte,  daughter  of  John  van 
Hesse,  a  Dutch  woman.  The  marriage  took  place 
26th  January,  1655,  and  by  her  he  had  three  sons, 
Robert,  Charles,  and  Thomas. 

At  length  came  the  recall  of  Charles  to  England, 
and  Tom  Killigrew  accompanied  him  in  the  same 
vessel,  very  lighthearted,  and  expectant  of  great 
things.  Pepys  had  gone  over  to  meet  the  King,  and 
he  says,  May  24th,  1660:  "Walking  upon  the  decks, 
were  persons  of  honour  all  the  afternoon,  among  others 
Thomas  Killigrew,  a  merry  droll,  but  a  gentleman  of 
great  esteem  with  the  King,  who  told  us  many  merry 
stories."  Among  them  one  Pepys  quotes,  which  is 
profane. 

Thomas  Killigrew  was  appointed  Groom  of  the  Bed- 
chamber, with  a  salary  of  ^400  per  annum,  which  he 
augmented  by  receiving  bribes  from  those  who  were 
solicitous  to  obtain  posts  under  the  Crown,  and  to  use 
his  influence  with  the  King  to  get  them. 

He  had  now  an  opportunity  of  producing  on  the 
London  stage  the  plays  that  he  had  composed  whilst 
abroad.  Of  these  there  were  eight,  comedies  and  tragi- 
comedies, all  borrowed,  none  exhibiting  any  genuine 
wit,  but  steeped  in  ordure.  One,  The  Parson's  Wed- 
dings borrowed  from  The  Antiquary ^  by  Shakerly 
Marmion,  and  Raw  Alley ^  by  Lord  Barrey,  was  actually 
to  be  performed  wholly  by  women.   It  has  been  well  said 


548  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

by  Mr.  Tregellas  :  '*We  find  ourselves  indeed  'sur- 
rounded by  foreheads  of  bronze,  hearts  Hke  the  nether 
millstone,  and  tongues  set  on  fire  of  hell.'  I  must  add 
that  they  have  scarcely  a  sparkle  of  that  witty  wicked- 
ness which  one  meets  with  in  the  writings  of  Sir  Charles 
Sedley." 

All  Killigrew's  plays  were  printed  in  folio  in  1644. 
Pepys  did  not  see  much  merit  in  them.  Of  The  Parson's 
Wedding  he  says  :  "  Luellin  tells  me  what  an  obscene, 
loose  play  this  is,  that  is  acted  by  nothing  but  women, 
at  the  King's  House."  Of  Claracilla^  "a  poor  play." 
Oi  Love  at  First  Sight,  '*  I  find  the  play  to  be  a  poor 
thing,  and  so  I  perceive  every  body  else  do."  Nor  did 
he  think  much  of  Killigrew's  conversation.  He  described 
it  as  '*  poor  and  frothy." 

In  The  Companion  to  the  Playhouse,  1764,  there  are 
some  stories  told  of  Killigrew. 

''After  the  Restoration  he  continued  in  high  favour 
with  the  King,  and  had  frequently  access  to  him  when 
he  was  denied  to  the  first  peers  of  the  realm  ;  and  being 
a  man  of  great  wit  and  liveliness  of  parts,  and  having 
from  his  long  intimacy  with  that  monarch,  and  being 
continually  about  his  person  during  his  troubles, 
acquired  a  freedom  of  familiarity  with  him,  which 
even  the  pomp  of  Majesty  afterwards  could  not  check 
in  him,  he  sometimes,  by  way  of  jest,  which  King 
Charles  was  ever  fond  of,  if  genuine,  even  tho'  himself 
was  the  object  of  the  satire,  would  adventure  bold 
truths  which  scarcely  any  one  beside  would  have  dared 
even  to  hint  to.  One  story  in  particular  is  related  of 
him,  which,  if  true,  is  a  strong  proof  of  the  great 
lengths  he  would  sometimes  proceed  in  his  freedoms  of 
this  kind,  which  is  as  follows  :  When  the  King's  un- 
bounded passion  for  women  had  given  his  mistress 
such  an  ascendancy  over  him,  that,  like  the  effeminate 


THOMAS  KILLIGREW,  KING'S  JESTER    549 

Persian  monarch,  he  was  fitter  to  have  handled  a  dis- 
taff than  to  wield  a  sceptre,  and  for  the  conversation  of 
his  concubines  utterly  neglected  the  most  important 
affairs  of  state,  Mr.  Killigrew  went  to  pay  his  Majesty 
a  visit  in  his  private  apartments,  habited  like  a  pil- 
grim who  was  bent  on  a  long  journey.  The  King, 
surprised  at  the  oddity  of  his  appearance,  immediately 
asked  him  what  was  the  meaning  of  it,  and  whither 
he  was  going.  ''To  Hell,'  bluntly  replied  the  man. 
*  Prithee,'  said  the  King,  'what  can  your  errand  be  to 
that  place?'  'To  fetch  back  Oliver  Cromwell,'  re- 
joined he,  *  that  he  may  take  some  care  of  the  affairs 
of  England,  for  his  successor  takes  none  at  all.'" 

This  was  not  the  only  time  that  Killigrew  gave  good 
counsel  to  the  King.  Pepys  says:  "Mr.  Pierce  did 
tell  me  as  a  great  truth,  as  being  told  by  Mr.  Cowley, 
who  was  by,  and  heard  it,  that  Tom  Killigrew  should 
publicly  tell  the  King  that  his  matters  were  coming 
into  a  very  ill  state,  and  that  yet  there  was  a  way  to 
help  all.  Says  he  :  '  There  is  a  good,  honest,  able 
man,  that  I  could  name,  that,  if  your  Majesty  would 
employ,  and  command  to  see  all  things  well  executed, 
all  things  would  soon  be  mended  ;  and  this  one  is 
Charles  Stuart,  who  now  spends  his  time  in  employing 
his  lips  about  the  Court,  and  hath  no  other  employ- 
ment, but  if  you  would  give  him  this  employment,  he 
were  the  fittest  man  in  the  world  to  perform  it'  This, 
he  says,  is  most  true  ;  but  the  King  do  not  profit  by 
any  of  this,  but  lays  it  aside,  and  remembers  nothing, 
but  to  his  pleasures  again." 

On  another  occasion  Killigrew  is  said  to  have  placed 
under  the  candlestick  where  Charles  II  supped,  five 
small  papers,  on  each  of  which  he  had  written  the 
word  ALL.  The  King  on  seeing  them,  asked  what  he 
meant  by  these   five  words.     **  If  your   Majesty   will 


550  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

grant  my  pardon,  I  will  tell  you,"  was  his  reply.  Par- 
don being  promised,  Killigrew  said:  ''The  first  all 
signified  that  the  country  had  sent  all  it  could  to  the 
exchequer  ;  the  second,  that  the  City  had  lent  all  it 
could  and  would  ;  the  third,  that  the  Court  had  spent 
all  ;  the  fourth,  that  if  we  did  not  mend  all ;  the  fifth 
would  be  the  worse  for  all." 

This  was  afterwards  adapted  and  turned  upon  the 
family  of  William  of  Orange  :  "  That  he  was  William 
Think-all ;  his  queen  Mary  Take-all ;  Prince  George 
of  Denmark,  George  Drink-all ;  and  Princess  Anne, 
Anne  Eat-all." 

Although  Thomas  Killigrew  went  by  the  desig- 
nation of  the  King's  Jester,  he  held  no  official  position 
as  such. 

"  Mr.  Cooling  told  us  how  the  King,  once  speaking 
of  the  Duke  of  York's  being  mastered  by  his  wife,  said 
to  some  of  the  company,  by  that  he  would  go  no  more 
abroad  with  this  Tom  Otter  (a  hen-pecked  husband  in 
Ben  Jonson's  Epiccene),  meaning  the  Duke  of  York 
and  his  wife.  Tom  Killigrew,  being  by,  said,  'Sir, 
pray  which  is  the  best,  for  a  man  to  be  a  Tom  Otter  to 
his  wife  or  to  his  mistress?'  meaning  the  King's 
being  so  to  my  Lady  Castlemaine." 

Killigrew  was  engaged  one  morning  with  one  of  his 
own  plays,  which  he  took  up  in  the  window,  whilst  His 
Majesty  was  shaving.  "Ah,  Killigrew,"  asked  the 
King,  "what  will  you  say  at  the  Last  Day  in  defence 
of  the  idle  words  in  that  book?"  To  which  Tom  re- 
plied, that  he  could  give  a  better  account  of  his  "idle 
words,"  than  the  King  would  be  able  to  give  respect- 
ing his  "idle  promises  and  more  idle  patents,  that  had 
undone  more  than  ever  did  his  books." 

"One  more  story  is  related  of  him,  which  is  not 
barren  of  humour.      King  Charles's  fondness  for  plea- 


THOMAS  KILLIGREW,  KING'S  JESTER    551 

sure,  to  which  he  almost  always  made  business  give  way, 
used  frequently  to  delay  affairs  of  consequence,  from 
His  Majesty's  disappointing  the  Council  of  his  presence 
when  met  for  dispatch  of  business,  which  neglect  gave 
great  disgust  and  offence  to  many  of  those  who  were 
treated  with  this  seeming  disrespect.  On  one  of  these 
occasions  the  Duke  of  Lauderdale,  who  was  naturally 
impetuous  and  turbulent,  quitted  the  council-chamber 
in  a  violent  passion,  and,  meeting  Mr.  Killigrew 
presently  after,  expressed  himself  on  the  occasion  in 
very  disrespectful  terms  of  His  Majesty.  Killigrew 
begged  His  Grace  to  moderate  his  passion,  and  offered 
to  lay  him  a  wager  of  a  hundred  pounds  that  he  him- 
self would  prevail  on  His  Majesty  to  come  to  the 
council  within  half  an  hour.  The  Duke,  surprised  at 
the  boldness  of  the  assertion,  and  warmed  by  his  re- 
sentment against  the  King,  accepted  the  wager,  on 
which  Killigrew  immediately  went  to  the  King,  and 
without  ceremony  told  him  what  had  happened,  adding 
these  words:  'I  knew  that  Your  Majesty  hated  Lauder- 
dale, though  the  necessity  of  your  affairs  compels  you 
to  carry  an  outward  appearance  of  civility  ;  now,  if 
you  choose  to  be  rid  of  a  man  who  is  thus  disagree- 
able to  you,  you  need  only  go  this  once  to  council,  for 
I  know  his  covetous  disposition  so  perfectly,  that  I  am 
well  persuaded,  rather  than  pay  this  hundred  pounds, 
he  would  hang  himself  out  of  the  way,  and  never 
plague  you  more.' 

*'The  King  was  so  pleased  with  the  archness  of  the 
observation,  that  he  immediately  replied,  *  Well,  then, 
Killigrew,  I  positively  will  go.'  And  kept  his  word 
accordingly." 

Pepys  has  a  good  deal  to  say  about  Killigrew.  He 
tells  how  Killigrew  became  enamoured  of  the  stage 
when  a  boy.     "  He  would  go  to  the  '  Red  Bull,'  and 


552  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

when  the  man  cried  to  the  boys,  '  Who  will  go  and  be 
a  devil,  and  he  shall  see  the  play  for  nothing?'  then 
would  he  go  in,  and  be  a  devil  upon  the  stage,  and  so 
get  to  see  plays." 

2nd  August,  1664.  "To  the  King's  playhouse,  and 
there  saw  Bartholomew  Fayre^  which  do  still  please  me, 
and  is,  as  it  is  acted,  the  best  comedy  in  the  world, 
I  believe.  I  chanced  to  sit  by  Tom  Killigrew,  who 
tells  me  that  he  is  setting  up  a  nursery  (for  actors),  that 
is,  is  going  to  build  a  house  in  Moorefields,  wherein  he 
will  have  common  plays  acted." 

1 2th  February,  1666-7.  "With  my  Lord  Bronnaker 
by  coach  to  his  house,  there  to  hear  some  Italian 
musique,  and  there  we  met  Tom  Killigrew,  Sir  Robert 
Murray,  and  the  Italian,  Signor  Baptista,  who  hath 
proposed  a  play  in  Italian  for  the  Opera,  which  T. 
Killigrew  do  intend  to  have  up." 

Thomas  Killigrew  was  nearly  sixty  years  old  when 
he  narrowly  escaped  assassination  in  S.  James's  Park. 
He  had  been  carrying  on  an  intrigue  with  Lady  Shrews- 
bury, but  found  a  dangerous  and  more  successful  rival 
in  the  Duke  of  Buckingham.  Whereupon  in  spite 
and  revenge  he  poured  over  the  lady  a  stream  of  foul 
and  venomous  satire.  The  result  was  that  one  even- 
ing, on  his  return  from  the  Duke  of  York's,  some 
ruffians,  hired  for  the  purpose,  set  upon  Tom's  chair, 
through  which  they  passed  their  swords  three  times, 
wounding  him  in  the  arm.  The  assassins  then  fled, 
having  killed  his  man,  and  believing  they  had  killed 
Tom  Killigrew. 

He  recovered  from  his  wound,  lived  on  thirteen  or 
fourteen  years  longer,  and  was  buried  in  Westminster 
Abbey  on  19th  March,  1682-3. 

His  son  Thomas  was  a  playwright,  and  his  son 
Charles  proprietor  of  "the  Playhouse,  Drury  Lane." 


THOMAS  KILLIGREW,  KING'S  JESTER    553 

The  Killigrews  have  now  passed,  not  individually 
only,  but  as  a  family  off  the  stage  of  life,  and  are  re- 
membered only  by  their  deeds,  good  and  bad,  as  re- 
corded in  history.  It  was  usually  said  of  Tom  Killigrew 
that  when  he  attempted  to  write  he  was  dull,  whereas 
in  conversation  he  was  smart ;  and  this  was  precisely 
the  reverse  of  Cowley,  who  did  not  shine  in  conversa- 
tion, but  sparkled  with  his  pen.  In  allusion  to  this 
Denham  wrote  : — 

Had  Cowley  ne'er  spoken,  and  KilUgrew  ne'er  writ, 
Combin'd  in  one,  they'd  make  a  matchless  wit. 


NICOLAS    ROSCARROCK 

NICOLAS  ROSCARROCK  was  the  fifth  son 
of  Richard  Roscarrock,  of  Roscarrock,  in 
S.  Endelion,by  Isabell,  daughter  of  Richard 
Trevenor.  His  grandmother  was  a  Bos- 
cawen.  His  father  during  his  lifetime  had  settled  upon 
him  the  estates  of  Penhall,  Carbura,  and  Newtown, 
in  the  parishes  of  S.   Cleer  and  S.  Germans. 

He  first  studied  at  Exeter  College,  Oxford,  and  took 
his  B.A.  in  1568.  Carew,  in  his  Survey  of  Cornwall, 
p.  299,  tells  us  of  **his  industrious  delight  in  matters 
of  history  and  antiquity." 

In  1577  Roscarrock  was  admitted  student  of  the 
Inner  Temple.  In  the  same  year  was  published  by 
Richard  Tottell  The  Worthies  of  Armorie  .  .  .  col- 
lected and  gathered  by  John  Bossewelly  to  which  were 
prefixed  ninety-four  verses,  entitled  Cilenus,  Censtir 
of  the  Author  of  his  High  Court  of  Herehautry,  by 
Nicolas  Roscarrocke. 

In  the  Inner  Temple  he  seems  to  have  been  associ- 
ated with  Raleigh,  for  in  1576  appeared  The  Steeple- 
glas,  a  satyre,  and  among  commendatory  verses  are 
some  signed  "  N.  R."  and  the  rest  by  "Walter  Rawely 
of  the  Inner  Temple." 

In  1577  he  was  in  Cornwall,  where  he  suffered  much 
annoyance  because  of  his  faith,  as  he  refused  to  con- 
form to  the  English  liturgy,  and  maintained  the  Papal 
supremacy.  It  was  in  1570  that  Pope  Pius  V  had 
issued  a  bull  of  excommunication  against  Elizabeth, 

554 


NICOLAS   ROSCARROCK  555 

deprived  her  of  her  title  to  the  crown,  and  absolved 
her  subjects  from  their  oaths  of  allegiance.  This 
violent  and  ill-judged  proceeding  at  once  converted  all 
those  who  held  by  the  Pope  into  suspected  traitors  ; 
and  measures  were  adopted  against  them,  the  more  so 
as  the  Jesuits  and  their  agents  were  more  than  suspected 
of  forming  plots  for  the  assassination  of  the  Queen. 

Nicolas  Roscarrock  was  accused  at  Launceston 
Assizes  on  September  i6th,  1577,  "for  not  going  to 
church."  He  was  in  London  later,  and  was  an  active 
member  of  the  "  Young  Men's  Club,"  1579-81. 

From  the  State  Papers^  1547-50,  we  learn  that  two 
spies  were  employed  by  the  Government  to  discover 
Nicolas  Roscarrock.  He  had,  however,  probably  fled 
to  Douay,  where  a  Roscarrock  is  entered  in  the  Doiiay 
Diary  as  landing  on  September,  1580. 

But  he  was  again  in  England  in  1581,  when  he  was 
sent  to  the  Tower,  where  by  a  refinement  of  cruelty  he 
was  placed  in  a  cell  adjoining  that  of  a  friend  who  had 
been  racked,  that  the  moans  of  the  latter  might  intimi- 
date Roscarrock  into  giving  evidence  of  plots  against 
the  life  of  the  Queen.  On  January  14th,  1581,  Nicolas 
was  himself  tortured  on  the  rack.  He  remained  for 
five  years  in  prison  in  the  Tower,  and  in  the  Fleet 
again  till  1594,  in  all  fourteen  years. 

He  was  finally  released,  and  went  in  1607  north  to 
Naworth  to  Lord  William  Howard,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained till  his  death,  which  took  place  in  1633  or  1634, 
when  he  had  reached  an  advanced  age. 

Such  in  brief  is  the  history  of  Nicolas  Roscarrock. 

Whilst  he  was  at  Naworth,  he  occupied  himself  in 
compiling  a  volume  of  the  Lives  of  the  English  Saints, 

The  first  part  he  wrote  with  his  own  hand,  but  as  his 
sight  failed,  he  was  obliged  to  employ  an  amanuensis, 
who   wrote   very  untidily  and   made  strange  havoc  of 


556  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

many  of  the  names,  which  he  wrote  phonetically  from 
dictation.  The  MS.  has  undergone  annotation  by  two 
hands :  one  was  Roscarrock  himself,  who  added  in 
matters  which  reached  him  later  ;  the  other  was  Dom 
Gregory  Hungate,  a  Benedictine. 

As  far  as  can  be  judged,  the  MS.  was  compiled  be- 
tween 1610  and  1625.1 

After  the  dispersion  of  Lord  William  Howard's 
library,  we  do  not  know  what  became  of  the  book  till 
about  1700,  when  it  formed  a  portion  of  a  library  be- 
queathed to  Brent  Eleigh  parish,  in  Suffolk,  by  a  certain 
Mr.  Edward  Colman,  sometime  of  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge.  Here  it  seems  to  have  undergone  rough 
usage,  and  it  was  probably  there  that  the  MS.  lost  so 
many  pages  torn  out.  As  it  is,  it  consists  of  no  fewer 
than  850  pages  ;  folio  253  is  missing,  also  some  pages 
from  the  beginning  and  something  like  ninety  at  the 
end  that  have  been  torn  out. 

At  the  sale  of  the  Brent  Eleigh  Library,  the  MS. 
was  purchased  by  the  University  Library  managers, 
Cambridge,  and  it  is  now  in  that  library  (Add.   MS. 

3041). 

It  is  a  thick  volume,  measuring  i  ft.  by  8|  in. 

It  possesses  an  Introduction,  "  How  Saynts  may  be 
esteemed  soe,  Secondlye  of  their  Commemorations  and 
the  trewest  enfalliblest  manner  of  discovering  them, 
and  what   Course  the   Collector   of  this  Alphebitt  of 

^  Authorities  for  his  life  :  Ormsby,  Tlie  Household  Books  of  Lord 
William  Harvard,  Surtees  Soc,  1878,  pp.  506  et  seq.  ;  Gildew's  Bio- 
graphical Dictionary  of  English  Catholics ;  Jesuits  in  Conflict,  1873, 
p.  206 ;  the  Donay  Diaries,  ed.  Knox  ;  Boase  and  Courtney's  Biblio- 
graphia  Cornubiensis ;  Notes  and  Queries,  5th  series,  IV,  402-4  (1875); 
Morris,  Troubles  of  our  Catholic  Forefathers,  ist  series,  1872,  p.  95, 
2nd  series,  1875,  pp.  33,  79-80 ;  Challoner's  Memoirs  of  Missionary 
Priests,  p.  32  ;  Diet,  of  National  Biography,  State  Papers,  etc. ;  an 
admirable  and  exhaustive  Life  in  MS.  by  Rev.  E.  Nolan,  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge,  in  the  University  Library,  Cambridge. 


NICOLAS    ROSCARROCK  557 

Saints  that  he  observed  in  this  Collection."  Then 
follows  an  article  on  the  Canonizing  of  Saints,  and 
another  **Of  the  Course  and  Order  which  is  to  be 
observed  in  my  Collection."  Then  ensues  a  Calendar, 
and  this  is  followed  by  an  alphabetical  biographical 
notice  of  the  saints  to  Simon  Sudbury,  where  the  rest 
is  torn  away. 

Nicolas  Roscarrock  had  recourse  mainly  to  printed 
authorities,  to  Capgrave,  Surius,  Harpsfield,  and  to 
Whytford's  Martyrologie.  But  he  had  also  access  to 
the  MSS.  of  Edward  Powell,  a  Welsh  priest,  who  had 
a  considerable  collection  of  Welsh  saintly  pedigrees. 
With  regard  to  the  Cornish  saints,  he  records  current 
traditions  of  his  time,  that  he  had  collected  in  his 
youth.  But  he  had  also  a  MS.  Cornish  life  of 
S.  Columba,  to  which  Hals  refers.  Unhappily,  he 
has  not  given  us  the  original,  only  its  substance.  And 
he  quotes  from  a  Cornish  hymn  or  ballad  relative  to 
S.  Mabenna,  but  which  to  our  great  regret  he  does  not 
give.  Here  and  there  he  indulges  in  verses  of  his  own 
composition  in  honour  of  the  saints,  but  they  are  of 
no  poetic  merit. 

In  the  volume  is  a  letter  undated,  addressed  by  one 
W.  Webbe  to — we  suppose — the  chaplain  at  Naworth. 
It  is  as  follows  : — 

''  Most  Worthy  Syr, 

''  Mr.  Trewenna  Roscarrock  found  in  the  library 
of  Oxford  a  story  of  a  certain  Christian  and  his  wife 
who  came  out  of  Ireland  with  their  children  to  fly  the 
persecution,  and  lived  in  Cornwall :  and  after  some 
tyme  both  he  and  his  wife  with  the  children  suffered 
martyrdom  in  Cornwall,  and  in  their  honour  were  faire 
Churches  dedicated.  Some  of  the  names  of  these 
saints  (as  wee  suppose)  wear  these  as  follow  : — 


558  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

"  S.  Essye,  S.  Milior,  S.  Que,  S.  Einendar,  S.  Eue, 
S.  Maubon,  S.  Breage,  S.  Earvin,  S.  Merrine,  &c. 

"  They  were  about  20  at  the  least ;  the  story  at  large, 
Mr.  Roscarrock's  Book,  and  keeping  noe  coppy  of  it 
lent  it  to  his  brother,  Mr.  Nicolas  Roscarocke,  who 
lived  and  dyed  at  my  Lord  William  Hoard's  House  in 
y^  North. 

"  Now  some  worthye  Catholickes  of  Cornwall  being 
desirous  to  understand  the  full  story,  to  the  end  they 
may  the  better  honour  these  Saynts  of  their  County, 
besought  me  to  write  unto  the  North  about  this,  and 
get  out  of  Mr.  Nicolas  Roscarocke's  writings  this  story, 
they  knowing  that  he  was  wont  to  compile  together 
such  monuments  for  further  memorye.  I  did  soe  and 
I  was  assured  by  a  good  Gentleman  a  friend  of  mine, 
and  who  actually  lives  with  the  house,  that  Sir  William 
Hoard,  my  Lord  William's  son,  had  Mr.  Nicolas  Ros- 
carock's  written  booke,  and  papers,  and  that  he  would 
most  willingly  pleasure  my  Countrymen  in  this  holy 
desire  of  theirs — Wherefore  Worthy  Syr  I  shall  humble 
intreate  you  for  God's  sake,  and  for  the  honours  of 
these  glorious  [sai^Jnts  martyrs,  to  deale  efficaciously 
with  Syr  William  Hoard  [to  obtajine  a  copy  of  this 
story  for  all  our  comforts  and  wee  [shall  be  aljwayes 
obleidged  to  pray  for  you  and  Syr  William  [both  in] 
this  worlde  and  in  the  next. 

"  Your  servant  to  his  honor, 

''H.  Webbe." 

^  A  corner  of  the  letter  is  torn  off,  but  it  is  easy  to  supply  the  missing 
portions  of  the  words  and  sentences. 


LIEUTENANT    PHILIP    G.   KING 

THE  Commissioners  of  His  Majesty's  Navy, 
near  the  close  of  1786,  advertised  for  a 
certain  number  of  vessels  to  be  taken  up  for 
the  purpose  of  conveying  between  seven 
and  eight  hundred  male  and  female  convicts  to  Botany 
Bay,  in  New  South  Wales,  whither  it  had  been  deter- 
mined by  the  Government  to  transport  them,  after 
having  sought  in  vain  upon  the  African  coast  for  a 
situation  possessing  the  requisites  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  penal  colony.  The  following  vessels  were 
at  length  contracted  for,  and  assembled  in  the  Thames 
to  fit  and  take  in  stores  :  the  Alexander,  Scarborough, 
Charlotte,  Lady  Penrhyn,  and  Friendship  as  trans- 
ports ;  and  the  Fishbourne,  Golden  Grove,  and  Borroiv- 
dale — these  latter  as  storeships.  The  Prince  of  Wales 
was  afterwards  added  to  the  number  of  transports. 
The  transports  immediately  prepared  for  the  reception 
of  the  convicts,  and  the  storeships  took  on  board 
provisions  for  two  years,  with  tools,  implements  of 
agriculture,  seeds,  etc. 

On  October  24th  Captain  Arthur  Phillips  hoisted  a 
pennant  on  board  H.M.S.  Sirius,  of  twenty  guns,  then 
lying  at  Deptford.  As  the  government  of  the  medi- 
tated colony,  as  well  as  the  command  of  the  Sirius,  was 
given  to  Captain  Phillips,  it  was  thought  necessary  to 
appoint  another  captain  to  her,  who  might  command 
on  any  service  in  which  she  might  be  employed  for 
the  colony,  while  Captain  Phillips  would  be  engaged 

559 


56o  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

supervising  the  convicts  on  shore.  For  this  purpose 
John  Hunter  was  nominated  second  captain  of  the 
Sirtus. 

On  March  5th,  1787,  order  for  embarkation  arrived, 
and  on  Monday,  May  7th,  Captain  Phillips  arrived  at 
Portsmouth  and  took  command  of  the  little  fleet,  then 
lying  at  the  Mother  Bank. 

Phillips  had  with  him  two  lieutenants,  Philip  Gidley 
King  and  Mr.  Dawes. 

Philip  G.  King  was  the  son  of  Philip  King,  a  draper 
in  Launceston,  by  his  wife,  the  daughter  of  John 
Gidley,  attorney,  of  Exeter.  Philip  G.  King  was  born 
at  Launceston  23rd  April,  1758.  He  was  midshipman 
on  board  the  Sivalloiv  in  1770-5,  and  now  was  placed 
under  Captain  Phillips  to  assist  in  the  settlement  of 
felons  in  a  colony  at  Botany  Bay. 

Whilst  the  little  fleet  was  on  its  way  down  the  Chan- 
nel, it  was  discovered  that  a  plot  had  been  formed 
among  the  convicts  on  board  the  Scarborough  to  mutiny. 
They  hoped  to  obtain  command  of  the  vessel,  when 
those  in  the  other  transports  would  follow  their  exam- 
ple, and  they  trusted  that  the  entire  fleet  would  fall 
into  their  power.  The  scheme  was  insane,  as  H.M.S. 
Sirius  could  knock  the  transports  to  pieces  with  her 
guns.  The  plot  was  betrayed  by  one  of  the  convicts 
to  the  commanding  officer  on  board  the  Scarborough^ 
and  he  at  once  communicated  with  Captain  Phillips. 
The  two  ringleaders  were  brought  on  board  the  Sirius, 
and  each  was  given  two  dozen  lashes. 

The  fleet  sailed  for  Teneriffe,  and  thence,  on  the  nth 
June,  for  Rio  de  Janeiro;  and  from  thence  for  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope. 

On  November  loth.  Captain  Phillips  sailed  ahead  of 
the  fleet  in  the  Supply  to  reconnoitre  the  coast  of  New 
South  Wales,  and  ascertain  where  best  to  land,  and  he 


i 


LIEUTENANT    PHILIP   GIDLEY    KING 


LIEUTENANT    PHILIP   G.    KING         561 

took  with  him  the  Alexander,  the  Scarborough,  and  the 
Friendship,  and  having  on  board  his  two  lieutennats, 
King  and  Dawes. 

On  January  19th,  1788,  he  landed  in  Botany  Bay, 
and  sent  Lieutenant  King  to  survey  the  coast  and 
inland  as  far  as  might  be. 

Botany  Bay  being  found  to  be  a  station  of  inferior 
advantages  to  what  was  expected,  and  no  spot  appear- 
ing proper  for  the  colony,  Governor  Phillips  at  once 
resolved  to  transfer  it  to  another  excellent  inlet,  about 
twelve  miles  further  to  the  north,  called  Port  Jackson, 
on  the  south  side  of  which,  at  a  spot  called  Sydney 
Cove,  the  settlement  was  decided  to  be  made. 

The  spot  chosen  for  this  purpose  was  at  the  head  of 
the  cove,  near  a  run  of  fresh  water,  which  stole  silently 
along  through  a  very  thick  wood,  the  stillness  of  which 
had  thus,  for  the  first  time  since  the  Creation,  been 
interrupted  by  the  rude  sound  of  the  labourer's  axe 
and  the  downfall  of  the  ancient  inhabitants — a  stillness 
and  tranquillity  which  from  that  day  were  to  give  place 
to  the  noise  of  labour,  the  confusion  of  carriers,  and 
all  the  clamour  of  the  bringing  on  shore  of  the  stores, 
and  the  erection  of  habitations. 

A  flagstaff  was  set  up  and  the  Union  Jack  hoisted, 
when  the  Marines  fired  several  volleys,  and  the  healths 
of  the  King  and  Royal  Family  were  drunk,  as  well  as 
success  to  the  new  colony. 

The  disembarkation  of  the  troops  and  convicts  took 
place  on  the  following  day. 

The  confusion  that  ensued  will  not  be  wondered  at 
when  it  is  considered  that  every  man  stepped  from  his 
boat  literally  into  a  virgin  forest.  Parties  of  people 
were  to  be  seen  on  all  sides  variously  employed,  some 
in  clearing  ground  for  the  different  encampments, 
others  in  pitching  tents,  or  bringing  up  such  stores  as 
2  o 


562  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

were  more  immediately  needed.  As  the  woods  were 
opened  and  the  ground  cleared,  the  various  encamp- 
ments were  extended,  and  all  gradually  assumed  the 
appearance  of  regularity. 

A  portable  canvas  house,  brought  over  for  the 
governor,  was  erected  on  the  south  side  of  the  cove, 
which  was  named  Sydney,  in  compliment  to  the  prin- 
cipal Secretary  of  State  for  the  Home  Department. 
There  also  a  small  body  of  convicts  was  put  under 
tents.  The  detachment  of  marines  was  encamped  at 
the  head  of  the  cove  near  the  stream,  and  on  the  west 
side  was  planted  the  main  body  of  convicts. 

The  women  were  not  disembarked  till  the  6th  Feb- 
ruary, when,  every  person  belonging  to  the  settlement 
being  landed,  the  whole  amounted  to  1030  persons. 
The  tents  for  the  sick  were  placed  on  the  west  side,  and 
it  was  observed  with  concern  that  their  number  was 
fast  increasing.  Scurvy,  that  had  not  appeared  during 
the  voyage,  now  broke  out,  and  this,  along  with 
dysentery,  began  to  fill  the  hospital,  and  several  died. 

In  addition  to  the  medicines  that  were  administered, 
every  species  of  esculent  plant  that  could  be  found  in 
the  country  was  procured  for  them — wild  celery, 
spinach,  and  parsley  fortunately  grew  in  abundance. 
Those  who  were  in  health,  as  well  as  the  sick,  were 
glad  to  introduce  this  wholesome  addition  to  their 
ration  of  salt  meat. 

The  public  stock,  consisting  of  one  bull,  four  cows, 
one  bull-calf,  one  stallion,  three  mares,  and  three  colts, 
were  landed  and  left  to  crop  the  pasturage  of  the  little 
farm  that  had  been  formed  at  the  head  of  an  adjoining 
cove,  and  which  had  been  placed  under  the  direction  of 
a  man  brought  out  for  the  purpose  by  the  Governor. 

Some  ground  having  been  dug  over  and  prepared 
near  His  Excellency's  house  on  the  south  side,  the  plants 


LIEUTENANT   PHILIP   G.    KING         563 

brought  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  from  the  Cape  were 
planted,  and  the  colonists  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  the  grapes,  figs,  oranges,  pears,  and  apples — in 
a  word,  the  best  fruits  of  the  Old  World — taking  root 
and  establishing  themselves  in  this  their  New  World. 

As  soon  as  the  hurry  and  turmoil  of  disembarkation 
had  subsided,  the  Governor  caused  His  Majesty's 
commission  appointing  him  to  be  Captain-General  and 
Governor-in-Chief  of  New  South  Wales  and  its  de- 
pendencies, to  be  publicly  read,  and  he  then  addressed 
the  convicts,  assuring  them  that  "he  would  be  ever 
ready  to  show  approbation  and  encouragement  to  those 
who  proved  themselves  worthy  of  them  by  good  con- 
duct and  attention  to  orders  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
such  as  were  determined  to  act  in  opposition  to  pro- 
priety, and  observe  a  contrary  conduct,  would  inevitably 
meet  with  the  punishment  they  deserved." 

The  convicts  from  the  first  gave  much  trouble.  They 
secreted  the  tools,  so  as  to  avoid  being  compelled  to 
work,  and  it  was  found  almost  impossible  to  get  work 
out  of  them,  as  there  was  a  deficiency  of  proper  men  to 
set  over  them.  Those  who  were  so  placed  were  for 
the  most  part  also  convicts,  men  who  by  their  con- 
duct during  the  voyage  had  recommended  them- 
selves, and  these  had  been  appointed  foremen  over  the 
rest,  but  it  was  soon  discovered  that  they  lacked  the 
authority  requisite.  The  sailors  from  the  transports, 
though  repeatedly  forbidden  to  do  so  and  frequently 
punished,  persisted  in  bringing  spirits  on  shore  every 
night,  and  drunkenness  was  often  the  consequence. 

Before  the  month  of  February  was  half  through, 
a  plot  among  the  convicts  to  rob  the  store  was  dis- 
covered. This  was  the  more  unpardonable  in  that  the 
rations  given  out  to  the  convicts  were  precisely  the  same 
as  those  served   to  the  soldiers.     Each   male   convict 


564  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

received  as  his  weekly  portion  7  lb.  biscuits,  i  lb.  flour, 
7  lb.  beef,  4  lb.  pork,  3  pints  of  peas,  6  oz.  of  butter  ; 
the  women  received  one-third  less. 

The  ringleaders  were  charged  before  a  Court  that 
was  summoned.  One  was  hanged,  another  reprieved  on 
condition  of  becoming  the  public  executioner  ;  the  rest 
had  milder  sentences. 

The  Governor  having  received  instructions  to  estab- 
lish another  settlement  on  Norfolk  Island,  the  Supply 
sailed  for  that  place  in  the  midst  of  February  under  the 
command  of  Lieutenant  King  of  the  Strms,  named  by 
Captain  Phillips  superintendent  and  commandant  of 
the  settlement  to  be  formed  there.  Lieutenant  King 
took  with  him  one  surgeon,  one  petty  officer,  two 
private  soldiers,  two  persons  who  pretended  to  have 
some  knowledge  of  flax-dressing,  and  nine  male  and 
six  female  convicts.  This  little  party  was  to  be  landed 
with  tents,  clothing,  implements  of  husbandry,  tools  for 
dressing  flax,  etc.,  and  provisions  for  six  months,  before 
the  expiration  of  which  time  it  was  intended  to  send 
them  a  fresh  supply. 

Norfolk  Island  was  to  be  settled  with  a  view  to  the 
cultivation  of  flax,  which  at  the  time  when  the  island 
was  discovered  by  Captain  Cook  was  found  growing 
most  luxuriantly  where  he  had  landed  ;  this  was  the 
Phormi  tenaXy  New  Zealand  flax. 

Mr.  King,  previous  to  his  departure  for  the  new 
settlement,  was  sworn  in  as  a  Justice  of  Peace,  and  was 
empowered  to  punish  such  petty  offences  as  might  be 
committed  among  the  settlers ;  capital  crime  being 
reserved  for  the  cognizance  of  the  Criminal  Court 
of  Judicature,  established  at  Sydney  by  Governor 
Phillips. 

The  Supply  reached  Norfolk  Island  on  February  29th, 
but  for  five  succeeding  days  was  not  able  to  effect  a 


LIEUTENANT   PHILIP   G.    KING         565 

landing,  being  prevented  by  a  surf  that  was  breaking 
with  violence  on  a  reef  that  lay  across  the  principal 
bay.  Lieutenant  King  had  nearly  given  up  all  hopes 
of  being  able  to  land,  when  a  small  opening  was  dis- 
covered in  the  reef  wide  enough  to  admit  a  boat. 
Through  this  he  succeeded  in  passing  safely,  along 
with  his  people  and  stores.  When  landed,  he  could 
nowhere  find  a  space  clear  for  pitching  a  tent,  and  he 
had  to  cut  through  an  almost  impenetrable  jungle  before 
he  could  encamp  himself  and  his  people. 

Of  the  stock  he  carried  with  him,  he  lost  the  only 
she-goat  he  had,  and  one  ewe.  He  had  named  the 
bay  wherein  he  landed  and  planted  his  settlement, 
Sydney ;  and  had  given  the  names  of  Phillip  and 
Nepean  to  two  small  islands  situated  at  a  small 
distance  from  it. 

The  soil  of  Norfolk  Island  was  ascertained  to  be  very 
rich,  but  Sydney  Bay  was  exposed  to  the  southerly 
winds,  which  drove  the  surf  furiously  over  the  reef. 
The  Supply  lost  one  of  her  hands,  who  was  drowned 
in  attempting  to  pass  through  the  reef.  There  was  a 
small  bay  on  the  further  side  of  the  island,  but  it  was  at 
a  considerable  distance  from  the  settlement. 

On  February  14th,  1789,  Lieutenant  Ball  sailed  for 
Norfolk  Island  in  the  Golden  Grove  with  provisions  and 
convicts,  twenty-one  male,  six  female  convicts,  and 
three  children  ;  of  the  latter  two  were  to  be  placed 
under  Lieutenant  King's  special  care.  They  were  of 
different  sexes  ;  the  boy,  Parkinson,  was  about  three 
years  of  age,  and  had  lost  his  mother  on  the  voyage  to 
Botany  Bay  ;  the  girl  was  a  year  older  and  had  a 
mother  in  the  colony,  but  as  she  was  a  woman  of 
abandoned  character,  the  child  was  taken  from  her,  to 
save  it  from  the  ruin  which  otherwise  would  inevitably 
have  befallen  it.     These  children  were  to  be  instructed 


566  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

in  reading,  writing,  and  husbandry.  The  Command- 
ant was  directed  to  cause  five  acres  of  ground  to  be 
allotted  and  cultivated  for  their  benefit. 

In  March,  the  little  colony  in  Norfolk  Island  was 
threatened  with  an  insurrection.  The  convicts  plotted 
the  capture  of  the  island  and  the  seizure  of  Mr.  King's 
person.  They  had  chosen  the  day  when  this  was  to  be 
effected,  the  first  Saturday  after  the  arrival  of  any  ship 
in  the  bay,  except  the  Sirms.  They  had  selected  this 
day,  as  it  had  for  some  time  been  Mr.  King's  cus- 
tom on  Saturdays  to  visit  a  farm  he  had  established  at 
a  little  distance  from  the  settlement,  and  the  military 
generally  chose  that  day  for  bringing  in  the  cabbage- 
palm  from  the  woods.  Mr.  King  was  to  be  secured  on 
his  way  to  the  farm.  A  message,  in  the  Commandant's 
name,  \vas  to  be  sent  to  Mr.  Jamison,  the  surgeon,  who 
was  to  be  seized  as  soon  as  he  got  into  the  woods;  and 
the  sergeant  and  the  party  of  soldiers  were  to  be  treated 
in  the  same  manner.  These  being  all  properly  dis- 
posed of,  a  signal  was  to  be  made  to  the  ship  in  the 
bay  to  send  her  boat  on  shore,  the  crew  of  which  were 
to  be  made  prisoners  on  landing  ;  and  two  or  three  of 
the  insurgents  were  to  go  off  in  a  boat  belonging  to 
the  island,  and  inform  the  commanding  officer  that  the 
ship's  boat  had  been  stove  on  the  beach,  and  that  the 
Commandant,  King,  requested  thatanother might  be  sent 
on  shore.  This  also  was  to  be  captured  ;  and  then,  as 
the  last  act  in  this  plot,  the  ship  was  to  be  taken,  in 
which  they  designed  to  proceed  to  Otaheite,  and  there 
establish  a  colony. 

The  plot  was  revealed  to  a  seaman  of  the  Sirhis,  who 
lived  with  Mr.  King  as  a  gardener,  by  a  female  convict 
who  cohabited  with  him.  On  being  acquainted  with 
the  circumstances,  the  Commandant  took  such  measures 
as  appeared  to  him  necessary  to  defeat  the  object  of 


LIEUTENANT   PHILIP   G.    KING         567 

the  plotters  ;  and  several  who  were  concerned  in  the 
scheme  were  arrested  and  confessed  the  share  they  were 
to  have  had  in  the  execution  of  it. 

Mr.  King  had  hitherto,  from  the  peculiarity  of  his 
situation — secluded  from  society,  and  confined  to  a 
small  speck  in  the  vast  ocean,  with  but  a  handful  of 
people — drawn  them  around  him,  and  had  treated  them 
in  a  kindly  and  even  confidential  and  affectionate 
manner  ;  but  now  he  saw  that  these  felons  were  too 
ingrained  with  vice  to  appreciate  such  treatment,  and 
one  of  his  first  steps  was  to*  clear  the  ground  as  far  as 
was  possible  round  the  settlement,  that  future  villainy 
might  not  find  a  shelter  in  the  woods.  To  this  truly 
providential  circumstance  many  of  the  colonists  were 
afterwards  indebted  for  their  lives  in  an  outbreak  that 
took  place  after  he  had  quitted  the  island. 

At  this  time  there  were  on  the  island  16  free  people, 
51  male  and  23  female  convicts,  and  4  children. 

In  June,  1789,  Lieutenant  Creswell  was  sent  with  14 
privates  of  the  Marines  to  Norfolk  Island,  and  with  a 
written  order  from  His  Excellency  requiring  Creswell 
to  take  upon  himself  the  direction  and  execution  of 
the  authority  invested  in  Lieutenant  King,  in  the  event 
of  any  accident  happening  to  the  latter. 

In  March,  1790,  116  male  and  68  female  convicts 
were  sent  to  Norfolk  Island  and  27  children.  Major 
Ross  was  appointed  to  supersede  King  ;  both  the 
Siriits  and  the  Supply  arrived,  but  unhappily  the  former 
ran  upon  the  reef  on  the  19th  April.  All  the  officers 
and  people  were  saved,  being  dragged  on  shore  through 
the  surf  on  a  grating. 

King  returned  to  New  South  Wales  in  the  Supply. 
There  had  been  disaster  and  distress  in  the  colony 
there.  The  sheep  had  been  stolen  and  the  cattle  lost 
in  the  woods,  and  these  were  not  found  till  1795,  after 


568  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

they  had  been  lost  for  seven  years,  and  they  were  then 
found  grazing  on  a  remote  clearing,  and  had  increased 
to  a  surprising  degree. 

It  was  now  determined  that  Lieutenant  King  should 
return  to  England  and  report  progress.  A  Dutch 
vessel  was  hired  to  take  him  and  the  officers  and  men 
of  the  Sirius  home.     He  sailed  in  the  Batavia  in  April, 

1790,  and  arrived  in  England  December  20th,  1790. 
Philip  Gidley  King  was  appointed  Governor  of  New 

South  Wales,  September,  1800,  and  held  that  appoint- 
ment till  15th  August,  1806,  when  his  health  failing 
he  returned  to  England,  and  died  at  Lower  Tooting, 
Surrey,  3rd  September,  1808. 

He  was  the  father  of  Rear-Admiral  Philip  Parker 
King,  who  was  born  on  Norfolk  Island,  13th  December, 

1 791,  after  his  father  had  left  for  England.  He  entered 
the  Royal  Navy  as  first-class  volunteer  in  1807,  mid- 
shipman in  1809,  lieutenant  in  1814.  He  married 
Harriet,  daughter  of  Christopher  Lethbridge,  of 
Launceston,  and  died  at  Sydney  25th  February,  1856, 
and  was  buried  at  Parramatta  beside  his  mother,  who 
had  been  laid  there  many  years  before,  not  having 
come  to  England.  There  is  no  record  as  to  who  and 
what  she  was. 

For  information  relative  to  Philip  Gidley  King  his 
Diary  may  be  consulted  in  John  Hunter's  Historical 
Journal  of  the  Transactions  at  Port  Jackson  and  Norfolk 
Island^  1795  ;  see  also  David  Colli ns's  Account  of  the 
English  Colony  of  New  South  Wales,  1798- 1802. 


HICKS    OF    BODMIN 

WILLIAM  ROBERT  HICKS  was  born  at 
Bodmin  on  ist  April,  1808 — not  to  be  an 
April  fool  himself,  but  to  be  a  right  merry 
jester,  and  not  infrequently  to  make  fools 
of  others.  He  was  the  son  of  a  schoolmaster,  and  he. 
Sir  William  Molesworth,  of  Pencarrow,  and  Colonel 
Hamley  were  educated  together  for  a  while  in  the 
school  of  his  father. 

William  Robert  became  Clerk  of  the  Board  of 
Guardians,  Clerk  of  the  Highway  Board,  and  Gover- 
nor of  the  County  Lunatic  Asylum.  He  was  a  man 
of  many  parts,  a  good  mathematician,  a  clear-headed 
and  cool  man  of  business,  a  musician,  who  could  play 
on  the  violin  and  play  it  well.  But  he  was  noted  above 
everything  else  as  a  humorist. 

He  was  a  short  man  and  inordinately  stout,  weighing 
sixteen  stone.  He  had  a  broad,  flexible,  somewhat 
flabby  face,  with  a  pair  of  twinkling  grey  eyes,  a 
short  nose,  somewhat  protruding  thick  under  lip,  and 
double  chin  that  was  very  pronounced,  and  whiskers. 
What  was  noticeable  in  Hicks's  face  was  its  flexibility. 
He  possessed  the  art  and  the  power  to  tell  his  story 
with  his  countenance  as  with  his  voice.  Indeed,  the 
alterations  of  mood  in  his  face  were  like  a  musical 
accompaniment  to  a  song.  He  was  thought  the  best 
story-teller  of  his  day  ;  was  known  as  such  in  Corn- 
wall and  Devon,  but  was  not  so  well  appreciated  in 
London,  where  the  peculiar  dry  humour  of  the  West, 

569 


570  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

as  well  as  the  dialect,  did  not  appeal  to  ordinary  hearers 
as  they  do  in  the  two  Western  Counties.  One  of  his 
many  Cornish  friends  once  took  Hicks  up  to  town  and 
dined  him  at  his  club,  thinking  that  he  would  keep  the 
table  in  a  roar.  But  it  was  not  so.  His  stories  fell 
somewhat  flat,  and  that  damped  his  spirits  and  he  sub- 
sided. 

One  of  Hicks's  earliest  and  best  friends  was  George 
Wightwick,  the  architect,  born  at  Mold  in  Flintshire 
in  1802,  who  set  up  as  architect  in  Plymouth  in  1829, 
and  was  employed  to  build  additions  to  Bodmin 
Gaol  in  1842  and  1847.  He  was  author  of  The 
Palace  of  Architecture^  published  in  1840.  And  though 
he  was  an  excellent  raconteur^  second  only  to  Hicks,  he 
was  a  most  egregiously  bad  architect.  Yet,  strangely 
enough,  Mr.  Wightwick  supposed  himself  to  be  en- 
lightened in  the  matter  of  Gothic  architecture,  and  in 
1835  published  in  London'' s  Architectural  Magazine  *'A 
few  observations  on  reviving  taste  for  pointed  Archi- 
tecture, with  an  illustrated  description  of  a  chapel  just 
erected  at  Bude  Haven  under  the  direction  of  the 
author." 

Wightwick  it  was  who  had  the  merit  of  discovering 
Hicks  and  of  introducing  him  to  notables  in  Devon 
and  Cornwall,  for,  miserable  architect  though  he  was, 
he  had  got  the  ear  of  the  public  in  the  West  as  a  man 
of  charming  manners  and  teeming  with  anecdote. 
Through  him  Hicks  obtained  access  into  many  a 
country  house,  where  they  would  sing,  accompanying 
themselves  on  the  violin,  and  tell  stories. 

Hicks  was  made  Governor  of  Bodmin  Asylum  in 
1848,  and  found  the  old  barbarous  system  of  treatment 
of  the  insane  in  full  swing.  He  at  once  adopted  gentle 
methods  and  in  a  short  while  radically  changed  the 
entire  mode  of  treatment,  with  markedly  good  results. 


W  I  LI  I  AM     K.     nil   K 


1 


HICKS   OF   BODMIN  571 

One  poor  fellow,  whom  he  found  chained  in  a  dark 
cell  on  a  bed  of  straw  as  a  dangerous  lunatic,  he  nearly- 
cured  by  kindly  treatment.  As  the  fellow  showed 
indications  of  great  shrewdness  and  wit,  Hicks  released 
him  and  made  much  of  him.  A  gentleman  on  a  visit 
to  the  asylum  once  said  to  the  lunatic,  "  I  hear,  man, 
that  you  are  Hicks's  fool." 

*'  Aw,"  replied  he  ;  "  I  zee  you  do  your  awn  business 
in  that  line." 

He  was  once  asked,  ''Whither  does  this  path  go,  my 
man?"  He  answered  readily,  "  Zure  I  cannot  tell  'ee. 
I've  knawed  un  bide  here  these  last  twenty  year." 

He  was  sitting  on  the  high  wall  of  the  asylum  that 
commanded  the  road  for  some  distance,  with  a  turnpike 
at  the  bottom  of  the  hill.  The  company  of  a  circus 
passed  by,  with  the  various  horses.  As  the  manager 
rode  past,  the  lunatic  said  to  him,  " 'Ow  much  might 
'ee  pay  turnpike  for  they  there  spekkady  bosses?" 
''  Oh,"  said  the  manager,  "the  same  as  for  the  others." 
' '  Do  'ee  now  ?  "  said  the  man  on  the  wall.  ' '  Well  to  be 
zure  ;  my  vather  'ad  a  spekkady  boss  that  never  paid  no 
turnpike.  They  there  sparky  (speckled)  bosses  don't 
pay  no  turnpikes  here." 

"Bless  my  life,"  said  the  manager;  "I  am  much 
obliged  to  you  for  informing  me  of  the  fact.  So,  sir, 
I  am  to  understand  that  piebald  horses  are  exempt  from 
paying  at  the  toll-gate?" 

"  What  I  zed  I  bides  by.  They  there  spekkady  bosses 
never  pay  no  turnpikes  here  in  Cornwall.  What  they 
may  do  elsewhere,  I  can't  zay." 

The  lunatic  watched  the  cavalcade  proceed  down  the 
hill,  and  when  it  reached  the  turnpike,  he  enjoyed 
watching  a  lively  altercation  going  on  between  the 
toll-taker  and  the  manager.  Presently  the  latter  came 
galloping  back,  very  hot  and  angry. 


572  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  telling  me  that  in  Cornwall 
piebald  horses  pay  no  turnpike?" 

"Right  it  is  so — cos  you  have  to  pay  it  vor  'un," 
said  the  man  and  stepped  out  of  reach  inside  the  wall. 

One  day  this  same  man  was  put  to  watch  a  raving 
maniac,  who,  for  his  own  safety,  when  the  fit  was  on 
him,  used  to  be  put  in  a  padded  room.  There  was  an 
eyehole  in  the  door,  and  the  lunatic,  whom  Mr.  Collier 
calls  Daniel,  was  set  to  watch  him.  The  poor  wretch 
in  his  ravings  called,  "Bring  down  the  baggonets  !  Oh, 
marcy  on  me  !  Forty  thousand  Roosians  !  Oh  !  oh  ! 
oh  !  I  wish  I  was  in  Abraham's  bosom,"  and  began  to 
kick  and  plunge  furiously.  On  which  Daniel  shouted 
to  him  through  the  hole,  "Why  I  tell'ee  if  you  was, 
you'd  kick  the  guts  out  of  'un." 

Daniel  came  from  Tavistock,  where  he  used  to  walk 
out  with  a  girl.  As  he  told  the  story  himself — "  I  was 
keepin'  company  with  a  maid,  and  I  went  to  the  parson. 
Says  I  to  he,  *  I  want  you,  however,  to  promise  me  wan 
thing,'  says  I.  '  What  is  it?  '  says  he.  '  I  want  you  to 
promise  me,'  says  I,  'never  to  marry  me  to  thickee 
there  maid  when  I  be  drunk.'  He  zaid  he'd  promise 
me  that,  quite  sure.  'Thankee,  your  honour,'  said  I  ; 
'  then  I'm  all  right,  for  I'll  take  damned  good  care 
you  never  do  it  when  I'm  zober.'  " 

Daniel  was  then  in  the  Volunteers  and  was  out  on 
Whitchurch  Down  in  a  review.  An  officer  rode  up  to 
the  bugler,  and  said  "Sound  a  retreat  !"  The  bugler 
tried,  but  could  produce  no  sound.  "  Sound  a  retreat !  " 
roared  the  officer.  Again  the  bugle  would  not  speak. 
"Sound  a  retreat!"  shouted  the  officer  for  the  third 
time.  "  Don't  you  see  that  the  cavalry  are  charging 
down  on  us?"  "There  now,  I  can't,"  replied  the 
bugler;  "for  why?  I've  gone  and  spit  my  quid  of 
terbaccer  in  the  mouthpiece  o'un." 


HICKS    OF    BODMIN  573 

Hicks  no  doubt  was  quite  justified  in  picking  up  and 
appropriating  to  himself  stories  wherever  he  could  find 
them  and  from  whomsoever  he  heard  them.  A  common 
friend  of  ours  was  with  him  one  day  in  Plymouth,  and 
as  they  sat  on  the  Hoe  my  friend  told  Hicks  a  couple 
of  racy  anecdotes  about  his  own  work. 

That  evening  both  dined  with  Lord  Mount  Edg- 
cumbe,  and  Hicks  told  both  these  stories  with  immense 
humour,  as  though  they  had  happened  recently — the 
previous  week — to  himself. 

And  certainly  some  of  Hicks's  stories  are  very  old 
chestnuts. 

This,  for  instance,  was  told  by  Hicks  as  having  to 
his  knowledge  occurred  to  two  brothers,  Jemmy  and 
Sammy,  in  the  Jamaica  Inn,  on  the  Bodmin  Moors, 
between  that  town  and  Launceston. 

They  were  to  sleep  in  a  double-bedded  room,  and 
they  dined  and  drank  pretty  freely — the  Jamaica  Inn  is 
now  a  temperance  house — and  went  to  bed.  Before 
retiring  to  rest  one  of  them  put  out  the  light. 

After  they  had  been  in  bed  a  little  while  Jemmy  said, 
"  I  say,  Sammy,  there  be  a  feller  in  my  bed." 

Sammy — "  So  there  be  in  mine." 

Jemmy — "  What  shall  you  do,  Sammy?" 

Sammy — "  Kick  'un  out." 

Jemmy — "So  shall  I." 

So  they  both  proceeded  to  kick  furiously,  with  the 
result  that  each  fell  out  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bed. 
By  mistake  in  the  dark  the  last  to  put  out  the  light  and 
go  to  bed  had  entered  his  brother's  bed. 

I  have  heard  the  same  tale  told  of  the  Yorkshire 
moors  some  thirty  to  forty  years  ago. 

The  famous  story  of  Rabbits  and  Onions,  that  Hicks 
would  tell  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  the  tears  rolling 
down  the  cheeks  with  laughter,    may  or  may  not  be 


574  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

founded  on  fact,  or  it  may  be — and  that  is  probably  the 
case — a  condensation  into  one  tale  of  a  good  deal  of 
experience  with  juries.  But  the  same  story  is  told  by 
Rosegger  of  a  trial  in  Styria. 

The  following  is  almost  certainly  genuine.  Any- 
how, it  is  an  excellent  example  of  the  way  in  which 
Hicks  could  put  a  story. 

"  I  met  a  man  [name  given]  in  Bodmin,  and  said  to 
him,  '  You  are  not  looking  well.     What  is  the  matter?' 

**The  man  replied  that  he  had  spent  an  indifferent 
night. 

"  *  How  is  that?'  I  inquired. 

"  *  I  sleep  with  father,'  he  replied;  'and  I  woke  up 
all  in  the  dead  waste  and  middle  of  the  night,  and  I 
reached  forth  my  hand  and  couldn't  feel  nothing  ;  so  I 
ses,  ses  I,  "  Wherever  is  my  poor  dear  old  aged  tender 
parent?"  I  got  out  of  bed  and  strick  a  light,  all  in  the 
dead  waste  and  middle  of  the  night,  and  sarched  the 
room  ;  sarched  under  the  bed  and  in  the  cupboards  ; 
and  ses  I,  "  Wherever  is  my  poor  dear  old  aged  tender 
parent  ?  " 

"  '  I  went  down  over  the  stairs,  all  in  the  dead  waste 
and  middle  of  the  night,  and  sarched  under  the  stairs 
and  in  the  kitchen  ;  and  ses  I,  "  Wherever  is  my  poor 
dear  old  aged  tender  parent  ?  " 

"'Then  I  went  to  the  coal-hole,  all  in  the  dead 
waste  and  middle  of  the  night,  and  sarched  all  about ; 
and  ses  I,  "  Wherever  is  my  poor  dear  old  aged  tender 
parent  ?  " 

"  '  And  I  went  down  into  the  garden,  all  in  the  dead 
waste  and  middle  of  the  night ;  and  ses  I,  "  Wherever 
is  my  poor  dear  old  aged  tender  parent?" 

" '  I  went  down  to  the  parzley  bed,  all  in  the  dead  waste 
and  middle  of  the  night,  and  there  I  found  'un.  He'd  a 
cut  his  throat  with  the  rape(ing)-hook.     I  took  'un  by 


HICKS   OF    BODMIN  575 

the  hair  of  his  head,  and  I  zaid,  ses  I,  "  You  darned  old 
grizzley  blackguard,  you've  brought  disgrace  on  the 
family."  I  brought  'un  in,  and  laid  'un  on  the  table,  and 
rinned  for  the  doctor  ;  and  he  zewed  up  the  throt  o'un 
avore  the  vital  spark  was  'xtinct.  Zo  you  zee,  Mr. 
Hicks,  I've  had  rather  an  indiffer'nt  night.'" 

Here  is  another  of  Hicks's  stories  : — 

A  young  curate  was  teaching  some  boys  in  the 
Sunday-school,  and  was  impressing  on  them  the  duties  to 
their  parents. 

"What  do  you  owe  your  mother,  Bill  Lemon?" 

"I  don't  owe  her  nothin' !  her  never  lent  me 
nothin'." 

"  But  she  takes  care  of  you." 

The  boy  stared. 

"  What  does  she  do  for  you  ?  " 

"Her  gives  me  a  skat  in  the  vace  sometimes,  and 
tells  me  to  go  to" (curate  intervenes). 

"That  is  not  what  I  mean.  When  you  are  sick, 
what  does  she  do?" 

"Wipes  it  op." 

Hicks,  as  already  intimated,  was  a  very  short  man, 
very  rotund  about  the  belly.  Following  the  Mayor  of 
Bodmin  into  the  room  on  the  occasion  of  a  public 
dinner,  he  heard  the  Mayor  announced  in  a  voice  of 
thunder,  "  The  Mayor  of  Bodmin."  Following  directly 
after  he  intimated  to  the  butler  "and  the  Corporation." 
The  man,  without  a  moment's  consideration,  roared  out, 
"and  the  Corporation." 

A  man  of  Hicks's  acquaintance — every  man  of  whom 
he  had  a  story  to  tell  was  an  acquaintance — made  a  bet 
that  he  would  drink  a  certain  number  of  gallons  of 
cider  in  a  given  time.  The  trial  of  the  feat  came  off, 
and  the  man  was  reduced  to  the  last  stage  of  helplessness, 
in  an  armchair,  his  head  resting  on  the  back  of  the 


576  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

chair,  his  mouth  open,  utterly  unable  to  proceed, 
when  he  sighed  out  to  his  backers,  "  Try  the  taypot ! " 
The  spout  was  used  to  pour  down  the  liquor  and  the 
bet  was  won. 

Hicks  had  a  story  of  a  farmer  whom  he  knew  inti- 
mately, and  who  had  been  canvassed  for  the  approach- 
ing election,  and  had  promised  his  vote  to  the  lady  of 
the  candidate.  Said  she,  "Dear  Mr.  Polkinghorne, 
when  you  come  up  to  town,  do  come  and  see  us,  come  any 
time — come  to  dinner.     You  are  sure  to  be  welcome." 

Now,  as  it  so  fell  out,  Zechariah  Polkinghorne  did 
go  to  London  on  some  business,  and  in  the  evening, 
when  his  work  was  over,  he  called  at  the  member's 
house.  As  it  happened  that  evening,  a  dinner  party 
was  given.  When  his  name  was  taken  up,  the  mem- 
ber's wife  said  :  "  Good  gracious  !  What  is  to  be  done? 
We  must,  I  suppose,  have  him  in,  or  he  will  be  mortally 
offended,  and  next  election  will  not  only  vote  against 
us,  but  influence  a  good  many  more  voters." 

So  Mr.  Polkinghorne  was  shown  up  into  a  room  full 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  evening  dress,  and  felt  some- 
what out  of  it.  Presently  dinner  was  announced  and  he 
went  in  with  the  rest  and  took  his  place  at  the  table. 

"So  sorry,  Mr.  Polkinghorne,"  said  the  lady  of  the 
house ;  "  so  sorry  we  have  no  partner  for  you  to  take  in ; 
but,  you  see,  you  came  unexpectedly,  and  we  had  not 
time  to  invite  a  lady  for  you." 

"Never  mind,  ma'am,  never  mind.  It  doth  remind 
me  o'  my  old  sow  to  home.  Her  had  thirteen  little  pig- 
lings— zuckers — for  a  brood,  and  pore  thing  had  only 
twelve  little  contrivances  for  them  to  zuck  to." 

"What  did  the  thirteenth  do  then,  Mr.  Polking- 
horne? " 

"Why,  ma'am,  thickey  there  little  zucker  was  like 
me  now — ^just  out  in  the  cold." 


WU.LlAivl    K.     HKKS    OF    KOUMIN 
from  n  Caricature 


HICKS   OF    BODMIN  577 

Hicks  was  driving  along  a  road  in  the  dark  one  night 
when  he  came  upon  an  empty  conveyance,  and  two 
men  close  to  the  hedge  on  the  roadside.  One  man  was 
drunk — a  Methodist  class-leader — but  the  other  was 
sober.     The  drunken  man  was  lamenting  : — 

''  Ah,  too  bad  !  What  shall  I  do  when  I  be  called  to 
my  last  account  ?     What  shall  I  zay  ?  " 

*'  Zay,  Nathaniel?"  the  sober  man  said.  "What  can 
'ee  zay  but  that  you've  been  to  Liskeard  a  auditing  of 
accounts,  and  took  an  extra  glass?  'Twill  be  over- 
looked for  once,  sure  enough,  up  there." 

A  day  or  so  after  Hicks  met  the  sober  man,  and  asked 
how  Nathaniel  had  got  on  that  night. 

The  answer  was:  '*  He's  a  terrible  affectionate  man  to 
his  family,  and  when  we  got  home  he  took  the  babby 
out  o'  the  cradle  for  to  kiss  'un,  and  vailed  vore  with 
'un  over  a  vaggot  of  vurze.  Jane,  her  got  into  a 
passion  and  laid  onto  'un  with  the  broomstick,  while  he 
kep'  tumblin'  over  the  babby.  When  I  comed  away 
her'd  'a  thrashed  'un  sober ;  and  they'd  'a  got  the 
babby  on  the  dresser,  naked,  and  was  a-picking  out  the 
prickles." 

Hicks  knew  a  man  who  was  of  a  morose,  fanatical 
humour ;  and  this  man  had  married  a  widow  with  a 
brisk,  merry  wench  for  a  daughter.  Once  he  reproved 
the  girl  for  singing  secular  songs  in  this  vale  of  woe, 
and  said  to  her:  "  Suppose  you  was  took  sudden,  and 
called  to  your  last  account  with  the  Soldier's  Tear  in 
your  mouth?  " 

Another  of  his  stories  was  of  a  chapel  where  they 
sang  a  Cornish  anthem  ;  the  females  began — 

Oh  for  a  man  !  oh  for  a  man  !  oh  for  a  mansion  hi  the  sky  ! 

To  which  the  men,  basses  and  tenors,  responded — 

Send  down  sal !  send  down  sal !  send  down  salvation  from  on  high  ! 


578  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

A  boy  at  church — another  of  Hicks's  anecdotes;  he 
knew  the  boy  well — heard  the  parson  give  out  the  banns 
of  "John  So-and-so  and  Betsy  So-and-so,  both  of  this 
parish.    This  is  the  third  and  last  time  of  asking." 

"  Mother,"  said  the  lad  after  service;  "I  shouldn't 
like  it  to  be  proclaimed  in  church  that  sister  Jane  had 
been  askin'  for  a  husband  dree  times  afore  her  got  one." 

Again,  another  story  told  by  Hicks  : — 

*'  Where  be  you  a-bound  to  this  afternoon  ?  " 

''  Gwain  to  see  the  football  match." 

*'  Aw  !    Like  to  be  a  good  un  ?  " 

''Yes,  I  reckon.  There  be  a  lot  o'  bitter  feelin'  be- 
twixt the  two  teams." 

But,  indeed,  the  stories  told  by  William  Robert 
Hicks  were  many,  and  for  those  who  would  desire 
more,  let  them  get  Mr.  W.  F.  Collier's  Tales  and  Sayings 
of  W.  R.  Hicks ^  Plymouth,  Brendon  and  Son,  1893  ; 
and  look  at  "An  Illustrious  Obscure,"  by  Abraham 
Hayward,  Q.c,  in  the  Morning  Post^  8th  September, 
1868;  and  J.  C.  Young's  Memoirs  of  C.  M.  Young, 
1871,  Vol.  II,  pp.  301-8. 

Hicks  died  at  Bodmin  5th  September,  1868,  at  the 
age  of  sixty. 


CAPTAIN    TOBIAS    MARTIN 

TOBIAS  MARTIN,  better  known  as  Cap'n 
Toby,  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Wendron 
on  January  5th,  1747,  and  was  the  son  of  a 
father  of  the  same  name,  who  was  a  common 
working  miner,  but  afterwards  was  advanced  to  be 
a  mine  agent,  or  captain  of  a  mine,  which  situation  he 
retained  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

The  elder  Cap'n  Toby  was  passionately  fond  of  read- 
ing, and  read  promiscuously  whatever  came  into  his 
hand.  But  his  main  literary  passion  was  for  poetry, 
and  he  speedily  conceived  that  he  possessed  the  poetic 
afflatus^  because  he  could  string  lines  together  that 
rhymed  more  or  less  well.  He  went  to  a  mine  near 
Helston,  but  was  never  in  sufficiently  good  circum- 
stances to  be  able  to  give  his  children  a  moderate,  let 
alone  a  superior  education. 

Tobias,  his  second  son,  inherited  the  father's  love  of 
reading  and  liking  for  the  Muse,  and  as  a  boy  he 
bitterly  lamented  that  he  was  not  sent  to  school. 

Deprived  through  his  father's  poverty  or  negligence 
of  the  means  of  education  enjoyed  by  others,  he  re- 
solved on  supplying  the  deficiencies  of  such  instruction 
by  self-application. 

From  an  early  age  he  was  employed  at  the  tin-stamp- 
ing mills  near  Helston  and  Redruth.  After  he  became 
a  man  he  worked  underground  on  his  own  account,  i.e. 
in  working  setts  that  he  had  taken,  and  at  other  times 
on  what  is  termed  among  miners  ''tutwork  and  tribute." 

579 


58o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

He  had  a  great  ambition  to  learn  French,  and  studied 
diligently  a  French  grammar  that  he  found  among  his 
father's  books ;  but,  of  course,  remained  perfectly 
ignorant  of  the  pronunciation,  though  able  to  write 
a  few  sentences  and  read  a  book  in  that  language. 

Proud  of  the  former  capability,  he  composed  some 
lines  in  French,  or  what  he  supposed  to  be  French, 
and  wrote  them  on  the  belfry  door.  A  Mr.  William 
Sandys,  an  attorney  at  Helston,  happening  to  see  these 
lines,  inquired  who  had  written  them,  and  when  he 
learned  that  they  were  by  Toby  Martin,  he  gave  him 
a  letter  to  a  Mrs.  Brown,  who  had  resided  some  time 
in  France,  and  was  believed  to  have  the  language 
at  her  tongue's  end,  to  this  effect:  "The  Bearer, 
Tobias  Martin,  wishes  to  learn  French,  but  his  poc- 
kets are  low."  From  her  Toby  did  receive  some 
lessons. 

Mr.  Sandys  occasionally  employed  him,  as  he  could 
write  well,  to  assist  in  his  office;  he  also  appointed  him 
toller  of  the  dues  arriving  from  tin-bounds  in  Breage, 
belonging  to  the  Praed  family,  which  appointment  he 
held  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  1772  he  married  Mary  Peters,  of  Helston,  and  by 
her  had  ten  children,  four  sons  and  six  daughters.  In 
the  same  year,  and,  indeed,  at  the  very  same  time,  Mr. 
Sandys  offered  him  a  situation  as  escort  to  his  eldest 
son,  Mr.  William  Sandys,  into  France,  where  the  latter 
was  to  remain  so  as  to  acquire  proficiency  in  the  French 
language.  And — what  was  somewhat  rough  on  Toby 
— he  had  to  leave  with  his  charge  the  day  after  his 
marriage.  The  place  chosen  for  William  Sandys  to 
acquire  French  was  singularly  badly  chosen  :  it  was 
Painpol,  in  Brittany,  where  the  natives  talk  Breton, 
and  what  French  they  do  speak  is  of  an  inferior  quality 
and  very  unlike  that  spoken  in  Paris  or  Touraine. 


CAPTAIN   TOBIAS    MARTIN  581 

After  having  seen  his  charge  safe  to  Painpol,  Toby 
returned  to  Helston  and  to  his  wife. 

Next  year  (1773)  in  August  Toby  was  despatched 
again  to  Painpol,  this  time  to  bring  young  WilHam 
home.  On  his  return  he  set  to  work  to  acquire  the 
Dutch  language  and  learn  Latin  ;  but,  indeed,  there 
was  scarcely  a  subject  that  did  not  attract  him,  and  that 
he  did  not  strive  to  acquire  some  knowledge  of.  It  was 
unfortunate  for  him  that  his  studies  were  so  desultory, 
that  he  was  "Jack  of  many  trades  and  master  of  none." 

Some  years  after  his  return  from  France  he  was 
appointed  captain  at  Camborne  Vean  Mine.  He  also 
held  the  situation  of  managing  agent  of  Wheal  Heriot's 
Foot,  commonly  called  Herod's  Foot,  near  Liskeard. 

A  story  is  told  of  him  which  Mr.  Tregellas  gives  in 
his  Cornish  Character  and  Characteristics  under  a 
fictitious  name.  Captain  Toby  was  having  his  pint  of 
ale  at  a  tavern,  when  in  comes  a  miner  who  was  wont 
to  be  called  "Old  Blowhard,"  and  was  not  esteemed 
trusty  or  diligent  as  a  workman. 

"  How  are  'ee,  Capp'n  ?  "  says  Bill. 

"Clever.     How  art  thee?" 

"  Purty  well  as  for  health,"  says  Bill,  "  but  I  want  a 
job.     Can  'ee  give  us  waun  ovver  to  your  new  bal  ?  " 

"  No,  we're  full,"  replied  the  Captain. 

"  How  many  men  have  'ee  goat  ovver  theere?"  asked 
Old  Blowhard. 

"How  many?  Why  we've  two  sinking  a  air-shaft 
through  the  flockan,  and  two  to  taakle,  and  that's 
fower  ;  and  theere's  two  men  in  the  oddit,  and  a  booay 
to  car  tools  and  that,  and  that  makes  three  moore,  and 
that  oaltogether  es  seben." 

"  And  how  many  cappuns  have  'ee  goat?  "  said  Bill. 

"  How  many?     Why  ten." 

"What  !  ten  cappuns  to  watch  over  seben  men?    I 


582  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

doan't  b'lieve  you  can  maakethat  out,  for  the  'venturers 
would'n  stand  it." 

'''Tes  zackly  so  then,  and  I'll  maak  it  out  to  'ee  in 
a  moment.  Waun  cappun  es  'nough  we  oal  knaw,  but 
at  the  laast  mittin,  the  'venturers  purposed  to  have  waun 
of  the  'venturers'  sons  maade  a  cappun,  and  to  larn,  they 
said  ;  and  so  a  draaper'sson,  called  Sems,  was  put  weth 
me  from  school,  at  six  pound  a  month,  and  a  shaare  of 
what  we  had  in  the  'count-house." 

"  Well,  but  how  can  you  maake  ten  of  you  and  he?" 

''Why,  I'll  tell  'ee  how,  and  you  mind  'nother  time, 
Bill,  for  theere's  somethin'  of  scholarin'  in  ut.  Now  see 
this  :  I  myself  am  waun,  baent  I?" 

"  Iss,  sure,"  said  Bill. 

"Well,  and  theest  oft  to  knaw  that  young  Sems  es 
nawthin'  ;  well,  when  theest  ben  to  school  so  long  as  I 
have,  theest  knaw  that  waun  with  a  nought  attached  to 
un  do  maake  lo,  and  so  'tes  zackly  like  that." 

In  the  year  1790  Toby's  wife  died,  and  he  was  left 
with  all  his  ten  children  on  his  hands.  One  of  these 
soon  died,  and  he  sent  for  the  sexton,  who,  after  having 
been  regaled  with  liquor,  declared  with  gushing  emo- 
tion, '*Lor'  bless  ee,  Cap'n  Toby,  I'd  as  soon  deg  a 
grave  for  'ee  as  for  any  man  with  whom  I  be  ac- 
quainted." In  1792  he  married  Ann  James,  a  widow, 
who  kept  a  small  public-house  at  Porthleven,  and  by 
her  had  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

A  short  time  after  his  marriage  he  took  the  Horse 
and  Jockey  Tavern  in  Helston,  which  he  kept  for  four 
years,  and  then  the  "  Helston  Arms,"  of  which  he  was 
host  for  five  more.  He  still  retained  his  situation  of 
mine-agent  in  Wheal  Ann  tin  mine  in  Wendron,  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  from  Helston,  where,  on  quitting 
the  last-mentioned  inn,  and  after  the  mine  had  failed, 
he  lived  for  some  years  as  captain  of  Wheal  Trevenen, 


CAPTAIN   TOBIAS    MARTIN  583 

which  was  run  by  a  company,  but  the  smelting  was 
consigned  to  a  speculator  of  Truro  named  Daubuz,^ 
who  had  with  him  one  Coad  as  a  clerk.  After  a  while 
Martin  supposed  that  Daubuz  was  swindling  the  com- 
pany, and  about  the  same  time  Coad  quarrelled  with 
Daubuz,  and  pretended  to  reveal  how  he  had  been 
cheating  ;  thereupon  the  Adventurers  set  up  their  own 
smelting  works.  Martin's  account  of  Daubuz  must 
not  be  accepted  as  true.  He  wrote  full  of  vindictive 
hate.  Anyhow,  a  misunderstanding  arose  between 
him  and  the  company  respecting  his  accounts.  The 
Adventurers  debited  him  with  a  large  sum,  which 
ought  to  have  been  and  was  afterwards  charged  to 
the  purser.  In  September,  181 1,  at  a  general  meet- 
ing of  the  Adventurers,  a  Mr.  Wyatt,  auditor  of 
the  accounts,  accused  Captain  Toby  of  having  falsi- 
fied his  books.  This  he  stoutly  denied,  and  insisted 
that  his  accounts  were  correct.  In  November,  181 1, 
he  received  his  dismissal,  not  as  having  acted  fraudu- 
lently, but  on  the  plea  that  he  was  too  old  and  past 
work.  He  was  discharged  accordingly  in  his  sixty- 
second  year,  and  he  applied  for  and  got  work  at  other 
mines.  A  year  passed  before  Captain  Toby  could  have 
his  accounts  investigated,  and  then  he  received  from 
the  purser  a  copy  of  an  account,  wherein  a  balance  of 
£iog  6s.  6d.  appeared  against  him.  To  this  he  ob- 
jected, and  a  dispute  arose  that  lasted  some  time. 

On  February  ist,  18 12,  he  was  arrested  for  debt,  and 
confined  in  the  sheriff's  ward  at  Bodmin  for  over  two 
months  before  an  accommodation  was  arrived  at,  and 
he  was  discharged. 

As  he  could  not  get  Mr.  Wyatt  to  have  the  accounts 
inspected,   for   he   proved   shifty,    Captain    Toby   was 

^  He  calls  Daubuz  a  Jew.  The  first  Daubuz  to  settle  at  Truro  was  a 
Moses.     But  the  family  claims  Huguenot  extraction. 


584  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

obliged  to  appeal  to  the  Vice-Warden  of  the  Stannaries 
to  issue  an  order  for  the  investigation  of  the  accounts. 
This  alarmed  Wyatt,  and  it  was  mutually  agreed 
that  they  should  be  gone  through  by  Mr.  Richard 
Tyacke,  of  Godolphin.  Mr.  Tyacke  in  a  very  short 
time  found  that  the  balance  against  Martin  was  only 
;^29  1 8s.  4d.,  and  that  then  there  was  owing  to  him  from 
the  company  nearly  a  twelvemonth's  wage.  He  accord- 
ingly in  February,  1813,  published  the  following 
notice  : — 

'  *  To  the  Public. 
''Having  been  requested  to  examine  some  disputed 
accounts  between  Trevenen  Adventurers  and  Captain 
Tobias  Martin,  I  find  from  investigation  that  the  errors 
in  dispute  were  not  contained  in  his  account,  but  in 
those  prepared  against  him. 

"Richard  Tyacke." 

After  this  he  received  from  the  company  the  balance 
of  his  salary,  and  that  put  an  end  to  the  business.  His 
connection  with  Wheal  Trevenen  having  ceased,  he 
worked  at  Wheal  Vorah  as  captain  to  18 17,  when  he 
was  in  his  sixty-ninth  year.  Then  he  was  appointed 
storekeeper  to  the  mine  and  to  keep  the  stock  accounts 
at  six  guineas  per  month  ;  and  this  situation  he  filled 
till  March,  181 7,  when  in  his  seventy-ninth  year  he 
was  superannuated  at  three  and  a  half  guineas  per 
month. 

On  June  4th,  1825,  his  wife  died,  and  not  long 
after  he  received  the  news  of  the  death  of  his 
eldest  son,  Tobias,  under  tragical  circumstances,  at 
Washington,  U.S.A.  The  younger  Tobias  and  his 
wife  had  a  daughter,  a  child  who  went  gathering  fruit 
in  the  hedges  of  some  land  belonging  to  a  rough 
fellow,  who  finding  her  there,  carried  away  her  basket 


CAPTAIN   TOBIAS    MARTIN  585 

and  took  as  well  some  of  her  wearing  apparel.  When 
Tobias  Martin  the  younger  heard  of  this  he  and  his 
wife  went  to  remonstrate  and  ask  for  the  return  of  the 
basket  and  the  garments.  An  altercation  ensued,  and 
the  man  of  whom  they  complained  with  his  revolver 
shot  Tobias  Martin  dead. 

This  shock  broke  down  the  old  captain.  He  had 
always  loved  his  glass,  but  now  he  took  to  it  more 
freely  than  ever,  and  was  often  intoxicated. 

He  died  on  April  9th,  1828,  in  the  eighty-first  year 
of  his  age,  and  he  was  buried  in  Breage  churchyard. 

Captain  Tobias  Martin's  poems  were  published  at 
Helston  in  1831,  and  a  second  edition  in  1856.  They 
are  absolutely  worthless  as  poetry,  and  one  may  look 
in  vain  through  them  to  find  an  original  or  a  poetic 
idea.  But  as  we  have  given  this  man's  life,  a  specimen 
of  the  stuff  he  wrote  must  also  be  given,  and  one  of 
his  shortest  compositions  will  suffice. 

Come,  sweet  content !  best  gift  of  bounteous  heav'n, 
Correct  my  mind  and  bend  my  stubborn  ways  ; 

'Tis  thou  alone  canst  make  life's  journey  even, 
And  crown  with  happiness  my  future  days. 

Why  should  I  grieve  or  murmur  at  my  lot  ? 

Why  disobedient  to  the  heav'nly  will  ? 
I  cannot  turn  my  thoughts  where  God  is  not, 

He  is  my  comfort  and  my  refuge  still. 

Blest  with  content,  I  will  observe  His  ways ; 

On  earth  I  can  no  greater  blessing  find. 
Serene  and  calm,  thus  let  me  spend  my  days. 

And  banish  discontentment  from  my  mind. 

In  his  religious  views  Toby  Martin  was  a  Deist  or 
Unitarian.  In  personal  appearance  he  was  inclined 
to  corpulency.  His  countenance  was  large  and  open, 
and  he  stood  five  feet  nine  inches  high. 


THE    MAYOR    OF    BODMIN 

WHEN  Henry  VHI  died,  Edward  VI  was 
aged  but  ten,  and  the  unprincipled  Protec- 
tor Somerset  took  the  reins  of  power  into 
his  own  hands  ;  and  as  he  was  a  strong 
partisan  of  the  reformers,  and  enriched  himself  on  the 
plunder  of  the  Church,  he  carried  out  what  he  con- 
sidered to  be  reforms  with  a  high  hand,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  the  Council,  which  was  filled  with  creatures 
equally  rapacious  and  equally  devoid  of  principle.  As 
the  monasteries  had  all  been  suppressed,  and  the 
monks  and  nuns  turned  adrift,  these  poor  homeless 
wretches  wandered  over  the  country  entreating  alms. 
In  November,  1548,  an  Act  was  passed  ordering  all 
such  to  be  branded  on  the  hand,  and  on  repetition  of 
the  offence  to  be  adjudged  to  slavery. 

The  baneful  effects  of  the  dissolution  of  the  monas- 
teries had,  moreover,  been  severely  felt  by  the  people, 
for  the  monks  had  been  ever  ready  to  afford  shelter  and 
relief  in  sickness  or  distress,  and  the  indigent  were 
now  driven  to  frightful  extremities  throughout  the  land, 
much  as  would  be  the  case  nowadays  were  the  work- 
houses and  poor  laws  to  be  abolished.  The  monks, 
moreover,  had  been  most  kind  and  considerate  land- 
lords, and,  always  residing  in  their  monasteries,  what 
money  they  drew  in  rents  from  their  tenants  was  spent 
on  the  land.  But  no  sooner  were  the  rapacious  hands 
of  the  nobles  laid  on  the  property  of  the  Church,  than 
these  new  proprietors  demanded  exorbitant  rents,  and 

586 


THE    MAYOR   OF    BODMIN  587 

very  generally  spent  the  money  in  London.  The 
cottagers  were  reduced  to  misery  by  the  enclosure  of 
the  commons  on  which  they  had  formerly  fed  their 
cattle. 

Added  to  all  this  came  violent  changes  in  the  services 
of  the  Church.  Candles  were  forbidden  to  be  carried 
on  Candlemas  Day,  ashes  to  be  used  on  Ash  Wednes- 
day, and  palms  on  Palm  Sunday  ;  all  images  were  to 
be  removed  from  the  churches,  and  even  the  sacred 
form  of  the  Redeemer  on  the  Cross  above  the  rood 
was  not  respected. 

Several  of  the  bishops  objected  to  these  proceedings, 
but  Somerset  was  inexorable.  Then  several  colleges, 
chantries,  and  free  chapels,  as  well  as  fraternities  and 
guilds,  were  abolished,  and  their  lands  and  goods  con- 
fiscated to  the  King,  which,  being  sold  at  very  small 
prices,  enriched  many  of  the  Protestant  hangers-on  of 
the  Court,  and  strengthened  their  resolution  to  maintain 
the  changes. 

These  violent  and  hasty  proceedings  provoked  wide- 
spread discontent  and  even  exasperation.  The  first 
disturbances  arose  in  the  county  of  Cornwall,  where 
one  Body,  a  commissioner  sent  down  to  "purify"  the 
churches,  was  stabbed  in  the  back  whilst  pulling  down 
images  in  a  church.^  Thence  they  quickly  spread  into 
the  counties  of  Devon,  Wilts,  Somerset,  Hants,  Sussex, 
Kent,  Essex,  Gloucester,  Hereford,  Worcester, 
Leicester,  Oxford,  Norfolk,  and  York.  In  most  parts 
the  rioters  were  quickly  put  down,  but  the  disorders 
in  Devonshire  and  Norfolk  threatened  more  dangerous 
consequences  (1549).     The  commotion  first  broke  out 

1  The  murderer  was  William  Kilter,  priest  of  S.  Keverne,  and  he 
killed  William  Body,  the  lessee  of  the  archdeaconry  of  Cornwall,  in 
Helston  Church  as  he  was  engaged  in  smashing  the  images,  5th  April, 
1548.     For  this  he  was  hanged,  drawn,  and  quartered,  7th  Julj',  154H. 


588  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

at  Sampford  Courtenay  on  Whit  Monday,  the  day  after 
the  Act  for  reforming  the  Church  Service  had  been 
put  in  force.  The  people  assembled  and  forced  the 
priest  to  say  Mass  in  the  ancient  manner,  instead  of 
using  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  The  commotion 
spread  through  the  adjoining  parishes,  and  many  came 
up  out  of  Cornwall ;  many  of  the  disaffected  gentry 
of  the  two  counties  placed  themselves  at  the  head 
of  the  insurgents  ;  among  them  were  Sir  Thomas 
Pomeroy,  Mr.  Coffin,  and  Mr.  Humphry  Arundell, 
and  the  body  swelled  to  10,000  men.  They  then  laid 
siege  to  Exeter,  but  the  citizens  shut  their  gates 
against  them.  Some  attempts  were  made  to  scale 
the  walls,  which  being  repulsed,  the  rebels  en- 
deavoured to  gain  admittance  by  burning  the  gates. 
The  citizens,  by  adding  more  wood  to  the  fires,  kept 
the  enemy  back  till  they  had  raised  fresh  defences 
within.  After  this  the  insurgents  sought  to  effect  a 
breach  by  mining  the  walls.  Having  completed  their 
mine,  laid  their  powder,  and  rammed  the  mouth,  before 
they  could  explode  it  the  citizens  had  drenched  the 
powder  by  means  of  a  countermine  filled  with  water. 

Lord  Russell,  glutted  with  the  plunder  of  the 
Church,  was  sent  to  relieve  the  city,  but  the  rebels 
cut  down  trees  and  laid  them  in  his  way,  so  that  he 
could  not  approach,  and  after  burning  some  villages 
he  determined  on  withdrawing  to  Honiton.  He  now 
found  his  retreat  cut  off,  and  he  was  constrained  to 
give  battle  on  Clyst  Heath,  and  defeated  them  with 
great  slaughter,  killing  600  men.  "  Such  was  the 
valour  and  stoutness  of  these  men,"  says  Hooker, 
''that  the  Lord  Grey  reported  himself  that  he  never, 
in  all  the  wars  that  he  had  been  in,  did  know  the  like." 
The  ringleaders  were  taken  and  executed.  The  vicar 
of  S.   Thomas   by  Exeter,   who  was  with    them,   was 


THE    MAYOR    OF   BODMIN  589 

conveyed  to  his  church  and   hanged  from   the  tower, 
where  his  body  was  left  to  dangle  for  four  years. 

The  defeat  was  on  the  7th  August,  and  the  rebels 
were  pursued  to  Launceston,  every  one  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  King's  troops  being  put  to  death. 
Arundell  and  other  gentlemen  were,  however,  taken 
prisoners.  The  Lords  of  the  Council  wrote  to  Lord 
Russell  on  the  21st  August  congratulating  him  on  his 
success,  and  directing  him  to  search  for  Sir  Thomas 
Pomeroy,  and  to  "send  up  Sir  Humphry  Arundell, 
Maunder,  and  the  Mayor  of  Bodmin,  and  two  or  three 
of  the  rankest  traitors."  They  desired  him  to  delay 
a  short  time  the  issue  of  a  general  pardon.  In  the 
same  month  Lord  Russell,  William,  Lord  Grey  of 
Wilton,  and  Sir  William  Herbert,  informed  the 
Council  that  they  sent  up  Pomeroy,  Arundell,  and 
other  prisoners  ;  and  they  observed  that  Castle, 
Arundell's  secretary,  went  up  not  as  a  prisoner,  but 
as  an  accuser  of  his  former  employer. 

Nicholas  Boyer,  the  Mayor  of  Bodmin,  had  escaped 
capture.  But  the  King's  army  pursued  the  dispersed 
Cornishmen  into  the  duchy  ;  and  Sir  Anthony  King- 
ston, Provost-Marshal,  arrived  at  Bodmin,  where  the 
Mayor  was  snugly  ensconced  in  his  house,  and  con- 
gratulating himself  on  his  escape,  trusted  that  it  was 
not  known  that  he  had  taken  part  in  the  rising. 

No  sooner  was  Sir  Anthony  in  the  town  than  he 
wrote  to  Boyer,  announcing  his  intention  of  dining 
with  him  on  a  certain  day.  The  Mayor  felt  highly 
honoured  at  such  a  mark  of  confidence  and  condescen- 
sion, and  made  great  preparations,  brought  out  his 
best  plate  and  linen  and  wine,  and  ordered  pasties  and 
siskins  and  dainty  cates  of  all  kinds  to  be  prepared  in 
his  kitchen,  so  as  to  receive  his  guest  with  becoming 
hospitality. 


590  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

A  little  before  dinner  the  Provost  took  him  aside  and 
whispered  in  his  ear  that  execution  must  that  day  be 
done  in  the  town,  and  nowhere  so  suitably  as  in  the 
street  in  front  of  Boyer's  door,  and  he  desired  that  a 
gallows  might  be  erected  by  the  time  the  dinner  was 
ended.  The  Mayor  complied  with  the  request,  and 
during  the  meal  the  hammering  of  the  carpenters  could 
be  heard.  The  Provost  was  cheery  and  jocose,  and  if 
Boyer  had  been  nervous  at  first,  this  wore  off  under  the 
friendly  conversation  of  his  guest. 

When  dinner  was  concluded,  Sir  Anthony  asked  if 
the  little  job  he  had  ordered  had  been  carried  out,  and 
when  Boyer  assured  him  that  it  was  so,  "I  pray  you," 
said  the  Provost,  "bring  me  to  the  place."  There- 
upon he  took  the  Mayor  by  the  hand  and  led  him  forth 
before  his  door,  in  the  kindliest  manner  imaginable. 

On  seeing  the  gallows,  the  Provost  asked  Boyer 
whether  he  thought  them  strong  enough  to  sustain  the 
weight  of  a  stout  man.  "Aye,"  replied  the  Mayor; 
"doubtless  they  be  so." 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  Provost,  "get  up  speedily, 
for  they  are  prepared  for  you." 

"  I  hope,"  exclaimed  the  astonished  and  disconcerted 
Mayor,  "  that  you  mean  not  what  you  speak." 

"  In  very  faith,"  said  Sir  Anthony  Kingston,  "there 
is  no  remedy,  for  you  have  been  a  busy  rebel." 

And  so,  without  trial  or  defence,  he  was  hanged 
before  his  own  door  by  the  man  who  had  just  dined  at 
his  table. 

Sir  John  Hayward,  who  relates  this  incident,  tells 
also  the  story  of  a  miller  who  resided  near  Bodmin. 
This  man  had  been  a  "busy  rebel,"  and  fearing  the 
wrath  of  the  Provost-Marshal,  he  told  a  "sturdy,  tall 
fellow,  his  servant,"  that  he  had  occasion  to  go  from 
home,  and  that  if  any  one  should  inquire  for  the  miller. 


THE    MAYOR   OF   BODMIN  591 

the  fellow  should  affirm  that  he  was  the  man,  and  that 
he  had  been  so  for  three  years.  The  Provost  came  to 
the  mill  and  inquired  for  the  miller,  and  the  servant 
at  once  presented  himself  as  such.  The  Provost  in- 
quired how  long  he  had  kept  the  mill.  ''These  three 
years,"  answered  the  servant. 

''String  him  up  on  the  nearest  tree!"  ordered  Sir 
Anthony. 

The  fellow  then  cried  out  that  he  was  not  the  miller, 
but  the  miller's  man.  "Nay,  sir,"  said  the  Provost, 
"I  will  take  thee  at  thy  word;  and  if  thou  beest  the 
miller,  thou  art  a  busy  knave  ;  if  thou  beest  not,  thou 
art  a  false  lying  knave ;  whatsoever  thou  art,  thou 
shalt  be  hanged."  When  others  told  him  that  the 
man  was  in  reality  only  the  miller's  servant,  the  Provost 
replied,  "Could  he  ever  have  done  his  master  a  better 
service  than  to  hang  in  his  stead?"  and  so  he  was 
despatched. 

Hals  says:  "  Mayow,  of  Cleoyan,  in  S.  Columb 
Major,  was  hanged  at  a  tavern  signpost  in  that  town, 
of  whom  tradition  says  his  crime  was  not  capital  ;  and 
therefore  his  wife  was  advised  by  her  friends  to  hasten 
to  the  town  after  the  Marshal  and  his  men,  who  had 
him  in  custody,  and  beg  for  his  life,  which  accordingly 
she  prepared  to  do.  And  to  render  herself  the  more 
amiable  petitioner  before  the  Marshal's  eyes,  this  dame 
spent  so  much  time  in  attiring  herself,  and  putting  on 
her  French  hood,  then  in  fashion,  that  her  husband 
was  put  to  death  before  her  arrival.  In  like  manner 
the  Marshal  hanged  John  Payne,  the  mayor  or  port- 
reeve of  St.  Ives,  on  a  gallows  erected  in  the  middle 
of  that  town,  whose  arms  are  still  to  be  seen  in  one 
of  the  fore  seats  in  that  church,  viz.  in  a  plain  field, 
three  pineapples." 

Humphry    Arundell,    who    had    headed    the    rebels. 


592  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

was  the  son  of  Roger  Arundell,  of  Helland,  and  he 
had  been  appointed  Governor  of  S.  Michael's  Mount 
in  1539.  He  had  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Sir 
John  Fulford.  After  his  capture  he  was  taken  up  to 
London,  confined  in  the  Tower,  and  hanged  at  Tyburn, 
27th  January,  1549-50.  Sir  Thomas  Pomeroy,  of  Berry 
Pomeroy,  managed  to  save  his  life,  but  suffered  severely 
in  his  estate.  He  married  Jane,  daughter  of  Sir  Piers 
Edgcumbe,  of  Cothele. 

Strype  tells  us  that  "when  this  rebellion  was  well 
allayed,  it  was  remembered  how  the  bells  in  the 
churches  served,  by  ringing,  to  summon  and  call  in 
the  disaffected  unto  their  arms.  Therefore,  in  Septem- 
ber, an  order  was  sent  down  from  the  Council  to  the  Lord 
Russell,  to  execute  a  work  that  proved  no  doubt  highly 
disgustful  to  the  people,  viz.  to  take  away  all  the  bells 
in  Devonshire  and  Cornwall,  leaving  only  one  in  each 
steeple,  which  was  to  call  the  people  to  church.  And 
this  partly  to  prevent  the  like  insurrection  for  the 
future,  and  partly  to  help  to  defray  the  charges  the 
King  had  been  at  among  them." 

Strype  adds  that  *'two  gentlemen  of  those  parts. 
Champion  (Champernon)  and  (Sir  John)  Chichester, 
assistant  perhaps  against  the  rebels,  took  this  oppor- 
tunity to  get  themselves  rewarded,  by  begging,  not  the 
bells,  but  the  bell-clappers  only,  which  was  granted 
them,  with  the  ironwork  and  furniture  thereunto  be- 
longing. And  no  question  they  made  good  benefit 
thereof." 


JOHN    NICHOLS   TOM, 

alias   SIR   WILLIAM    COURTENAY,   K.M. 

THIS  strange  man  was  the  son  of  William 
Tom,  landlord  of  the  "Joiners'  Arms,"  S. 
Columb,  and  of  his  wife  Charity  Bray — 
"Cracked  Charity"  was  the  nickname  she 
bore — who  died  in  the  County  Lunatic  Asylum,  and  it 
was  from  his  mother  that  the  subject  of  this  memoir 
derived  the  bee  that  was  in  his  bonnet. 

John  Nichols  was  born  at  S.  Columb  Major  on 
November  loth,  1799,  and  he  owed  his  name  to  a  kins- 
man of  his  mother — his  godfather,  a  well-to-do-farmer, 
who  was  unmarried. 

At  an  early  age  John  Nichols  Tom  showed  a  mis- 
chievous disposition.  He  was  turned  out  of  the  dame's 
school  at  which  he  had  been  placed  for  cutting  off  the 
whiskers  of  her  favourite  cat.  At  the  next  school 
where  he  was  placed  he  exhibited  the  characteristic 
vanity  that  was  a  leading  feature  through  life.  He 
liked  to  be  thought  to  know  more  than  any  of  his 
fellow  pupils.  One  day  he  propounded  to  them  the 
question : — 

"  Who  is  Neptune?     I  bet  none  of  you  know." 

"Neptune,"  replied  one  urchin,  "is  my  father's  New- 
foundland dog." 

"Then  who  is  Venus?" 

"  She  is  mother's  spaniel  bitch,"  answered  one  of  the 
boys. 

2  Q  593 


594  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

John  Nichols  in  a  fury  fell  on  both  with  his  fists. 

"  No  such  thing.  Neptune  is  a  god,  and  Venus  is  a 
goddess." 

A  general  fray  was  the  result,  out  of  which  our  hero 
came  mauled. 

When  it  became  time  for  him  to  strike  out  a  course 
in  life,  he  was  placed  in  an  attorney's  office,  and  he 
conducted  himself  there  well. 

A  fire  broke  out  on  the  premises  of  the  elder  Tom 
and  consumed  the  house.  This  occasioned  Mrs.  Tom 
to  sink  into  a  condition  of  profound  melancholy,  and 
she  rapidly  became  so  wholly  insane  that  she  had  to  be 
confined  in  an  asylum,  where  some  years  later  she 
died,  and  then  Mr.  Tom  married  a  schoolmistress  who 
lived  on  the  other  side  of  the  road.  This  did  not 
please  John  Nichols,  and  he  quitted  the  attorney's 
office  and  was  placed  in  the  firm  of  Plumer  and 
Turner,  wine  merchants  and  maltsters  at  Truro,  as 
cellarman.  After  five  years'  service  the  firm  came  to 
an  end,  and  Tom  then  began  to  trade  on  his  own 
account.  He  married  Catherine,  second  daughter  of  a 
Mr.  Philpot,  of  Truro,  whose  elder  sister  Julia  was 
engaged  to  a  Mr.  Hugo.  Tom  moved  into  his  father- 
in-law's  house,  which  was  old  and  dilapidated,  and 
rebuilt  it  as  a  commodious  mansion,  with  spacious 
premises  in  its  rear  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  business 
of  a  maltster.  But  on  a  sudden  a  fire  broke  out  in 
this  newly-constructed  malt-house,  and  speedily  con- 
sumed all  that  had  been  built  for  his  business.  Folk 
naturally  concluded  that,  as  Tom  had  recently  had 
some  losses,  he  had  set  fire  to  his  premises,  that  were 
insured  for  ;^30oo,  and  they  remembered  that  his 
father's  house  had  also  been  insured  and  been  burnt 
down.  But  Tom  demanded  that  a  most  searching 
inquiry  should  be  made  as  to  the  cause  of  the  fire,  and 


JOHN  THOMAS,  OTHliRWISIi  SIR  WILLIAM  COUKTENAY,  WHO  SHOT 
LIEUTENANT  BENNET  IN  BASENDEN  WOOD,  BOUGHTON,  NEAR  CANTER- 
BURY,   AM)    THE    CONSTABLE     MEARS,    ON    THURSDAY,    MAY     3IST,     1838 


JOHN    NICHOLS   TOM  595 

the  insurance  company,  satisfying  itself  that  it  was 
accidental,  paid  the  sum  without  demur.  With  the 
money  thus  received  he  rebuilt  his  premises,  and  con- 
tinued the  business.  Those  who  saw  much  of  him 
were  convinced  that,  as  they  termed  it,  "there  was  a 
screw  loose  somewhere."  He  affected  an  unusual 
dress,  and  tried  to  induce  his  wife  to  assume  a  habit 
that  would  have  caused  her  to  be  mobbed  in  the  streets. 
He  moreover  became  great  as  an  orator,  denouncing 
the  Church,  the  aristocracy,  and  all  organized  govern- 
ments.    In  a  word,  he  was  a  Socialist  of  the  day. 

Two  years  later  he  made  a  considerable  sum  of 
money  by  a  successful  venture  in  malt  at  Liverpool. 
The  result  of  the  transaction  may  be  gathered  from 
the  following  letter  which  he  wrote  to  his  wife,  and 
which  was  the  last  she  ever  received  from  him  : — 

"  Liverpool,  May  3,  1832. 
*'  My  dear  Wife, 

"I  merely  wish  to  inform  you  that  I  have  just 
discharged  the  vessel  of  the  malt,  which  has  given 
every  satisfaction  to  the  purchasers.  The  measurement 
has  exceeded  my  expectations  by  twenty-four  Win- 
chesters. There  are  the  malt  sacks  in  the  vessel,  and 
also  half  a  bushel  of  the  bottom  scrapings  ;  this  you 
will  get  screened  immediately.  I  am  well  and  in  good 
spirits  (thank  God  for  it).  As  I  shall  write  to  you  again 
in  a  day  or  two,  my  letter  will  be  short.  The  letter 
you  will  receive  by  post  shall  contain  all  I  have  to  say, 
and  as  it  will  be  subsequent  to  this  I  need  not  prolong. 
I  have  paid  the  captain  of  the  vessel  all  the  freight. 
*'  With  the  kindest  regards  to  all, 

"  I  remain,  yours  affectionately, 

"John  Nichols  Tom." 


596  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

The  letter  was  rational  enough,  but  it  was  the  last 
rational  act  he  committed,  as  this  also  was  the  last 
time  that  he  signed  his  name  as  above. 

For  some  time  his  imagination  had  been  influenced 
by  stories  that  circulated  relative  to  Lady  Hester 
Stanhope,  the  "Queen  of  Lebanon,"  of  her  wealth,  her 
authority  over  Arabs  and  Druses,  of  her  prophecies 
and  expectations  of  the  near  coming  of  the  Messiah  to 
institute  the  millennium  ;  and  he  felt  convinced  that  he 
was  predestined  to  be  the  forerunner  or  herald  to 
announce  the  coming  advent  of  Christ.  He  had  read 
a  translation  of  Lamartine's  Travels  in  the  East,  in  which 
it  was  stated  that,  according  to  Eastern  prophecy,  the 
Messiah  would  ride  into  Jerusalem  on  a  mare  foaled 
ready  saddled,  and  that  Lady  Hester  had  such  a  mare 
ready  for  the  advent  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  "  Since 
destiny,"  said  Lady  Hester  to  Lamartine,  "has  sent 
you  hither — permit  me  to  confide  to  you  what  I  have 
hitherto  concealed  from  so  many  of  the  profane.  Come, 
and  you  shall  see  with  your  own  eyes  a  prodigy  of 
Nature,  the  destination  of  which  is  known  only  to 
myself  and  my  immediate  votaries.  The  prophets  of 
the  East  have  announced  it  centuries  ago,  and  yourself 
shall  be  judge  if  a  part  of  those  prophecies  have  not 
been  accomplished."  Lamartine  goes  on  to  say  : 
"She  opened  a  gate  of  the  garden  which  led  into  a 
smaller  inner  court,  where  I  perceived  two  magnifi- 
cent Arab  mares  of  the  finest  blood,  and  of  the  most 
symmetrical  form.  '  Approach,' said  she  to  me,  'and 
examine  that  bay  mare  :  see  if  Nature  hath  not  accom- 
plished in  her  everything  which  is  written  about  the 
mare  that  is  to  carry  the  Messiah — she  was  foaled  ready 
saddled  ! ' 

"  I  saw,  in  fact,  in  this  beautiful  animal  a  freak  of 
nature.     The  mare  had,  in  the  place  of  the  shoulders. 


JOHN    NICHOLS   TOM  597 

a  cavity  so  broad  and  deep,  and  imitating  so  well  the 
form  of  a  Turkish  saddle,  that  it  might  be  said  with  truth 
that  she  was  foaled  ready  saddled,  and  but  for  the  want 
of  stirrups  she  might  have  been  mounted  without  ex- 
periencing the  want  of  an  artificial  saddle." 

This  account  that  John  Tom  had  read  of  Lady 
Hester  made  the  most  profound  impression  on  his  mind, 
and  inflated  as  he  was  with  self-conceit  and  ambition, 
he  conceived  that  he  was  called  to  take  a  place  beside, 
if  not  before,  Lady  Hester,  as  a  herald  of  Christ. 
Accordingly,  having  his  pocket  full  of  money  from  the 
sale  of  his  malt,  he  started  for  Havre,  and  thence  for 
Constantinople  and  Syria. 

For  what  follows,  till  his  reappearance  in  England  in 
December  of  the  same  year,  1832,  our  sole  authority  is 
''  Canterburiensis,"  who  wrote  Tom's  life,  but  who  does 
not  tell  us  what  were  his  authorities,  and  who  certainly 
so  embroidered  some  of  the  facts  he  relates,  that  in 
instances  we  feel  uncertain  whether  they  are  facts  or 
fables. 

According  to  this  authority  he  arrived  at  Beirout, 
at  what  date  we  are  not  informed,  and  he  at  once  pre- 
sented himself  before  the  English  consul,  under  the 
assumed  name  of  Sir  William  Courtenay,  Knight,  and 
requested  an  escort  to  the  Lebanon,  where  he  desired 
to  see  Hester  Stanhope,  and  acquaint  her  with  the  fact 
that  he  was  the  forerunner  of  the  expected  Messiah. 
The  consul  saw  that  the  man  was  not  wholly  sane,  and 
he  was  in  a  dilemma  what  to  do  with  him  ;  finally  he 
concluded  that  it  would  not  be  unwise  to  send  one  mad 
head  to  the  other,  and  see  what  would  be  the  result. 
Accordingly  he  gave  Sir  William,  as  we  must  now  call 
him,  an  escort  and  he  departed  for  her  Lebanon  resi- 
dence, at  Dgioun. 

*'On  arriving  at  the  principal  entrance,  Sir  William 


598  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

sent  forward  his  dragoman  to  announce  to  the  slave, 
who  was  standing  at  the  door,  that  a  person  of  conse- 
quence, on  a  mission  of  high  import,  requested  an 
interview  with  Lady  Hester  Stanhope.  Sir  William 
and  the  dragoman  were  accordingly  conducted  into  a 
narrow  cell,  deprived  almost  of  all  light,  and  almost 
destitute  of  furniture  ;  here  they  were  ordered  to  wait, 
until  the  pleasure  of  her  ladyship  should  be  known.  After 
waiting  full  three  hours  in  the  most  suffocating  heat, 
the  slave  returned  with  a  rather  peremptory  message, 
demanding,  on  the  part  of  her  ladyship,  to  know  who  and 
what  the  stranger  was  who  had  solicited  an  interview 
with  her.  Sir  William  wrote  with  his  pencil,  that  he 
had  travelled  from  the  County  of  Cornwall  to  announce 
to  the  expectant  faithful  in  the  East  the  approaching 
advent  of  the  Messiah,  and  that  as  her  ladyship  had  estab- 
lished herself  in  the  Holy  Land  for  the  direct  purpose 
of  awaiting  that  glorious  event,  which  was  so  near  at 
hand,  he  considered  that  he  was  acting  in  conformity 
with  the  high  destiny  that  was  awarded  to  him  to  com- 
municate to  her  ladyship  in  person  the  arrival  of  the 
Millennium,  that  she  might  co-operate  with  him  in 
spreading  the  glad  tidings  throughout  the  Holy  Land, 
and  acknowledge  him  as  the  harbinger  of  the  great  event. 
"Fully  satisfied  that  Lady  Hester  Stanhope  would 
in  a  short  time  rush  into  his  arms  and  hail  him  as  the 
accredited  messenger  of  Heaven,  Sir  William  felt  not 
the  torrid  heat,  but  stood  in  dignified  complacency  with 
himself,  proudly  awaiting  the  result  of  his  message. 
In  a  very  short  time  the  slave  returned,  followed  by 
several  others,  and  it  would  be  a  difficult  task  to 
describe  the  astonishment  and  indignation  of  Sir 
William  when  he  was  informed  that  it  was  the  decided 
opinion  of  her  ladyship  that  he  was  an  impostor,  for 
that  not  one  of  the  prophecies  had  been  as  yet  fulfilled, 


JOHN    NICHOLS   TOM  599 

which  were  to  precede  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  nor 
in  any  one  of  those  prophecies  was  the  slightest 
mention  made  of  a  messenger  being  appointed  to  an- 
nounce His  coming,  and  that  accordingly  the  sooner 
he  returned  to  his  native  country,  the  better  it  would  be 
for  him." 

In  a  word.  Sir  William  was  detected,  without  having 
been  seen,  as  an  impostor,  and  was  ejected  from  the 
house  as  such. 

We  should  greatly  like  to  know  how  much  of  this  is 
true.  Not  only  are  no  dates  given,  but  the  name  of 
the  consul  at  Beirout  is  also  withheld. 

Nothing  remained  for  Sir  William  Courtenay  to  do 
but  to  retire  discomfited  to  England,  and  try  there 
whether  he  would  have  better  luck.  He  embarked  in  a 
ship  of  Beirout  for  Malta,  and  after  a  residence  of 
about  three  weeks  in  that  island,  sailed  for  England 
and  arrived  safely  in  London.  The  first  intimation 
that  he  was  back,  received  in  Cornwall,  was  that  he  had 
assumed  the  name  and  title  of  Sir  William  Percy 
Honeywood  Courtenay,  Knight  of  Malta,  King  of 
Jerusalem,  and  Prince  of  Abyssinia,  and  that  he  had 
presented  himself  before  the  electors  of  Canterbury  to 
contest  that  borough,  in  December,  1832. 

He  had  taken  up  his  residence  at  the  Rose  Hotel, 
Canterbury,  where  his  dignified  manners,  his  rich 
dress,  his  professions  that  he  was  the  rightful  owner  of 
the  estates  of  the  Earl  of  Devon,  and  that  he  intended 
to  establish  his  claims  to  them,  his  assertion  that  he  was 
not  only  Knight  of  Malta  but  also  de  jure  King  of 
Jerusalem,  imposed  on  so  many  of  the  burgesses  of 
Canterbury  that  he  polled  375  votes  ;  but  was  unsuc- 
cessful, as  the  opponent  candidates,  the  Honourable  R. 
Watson  and  Lord  Fordwick  gained  respectively  832 
and  802. 


6oo  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

After  his  defeat  Tom  made  a  circuit  through  the 
towns  and  villages  of  Kent,  declaiming  against  the 
poor  laws,  the  revenue  laws,  and  such  other  portions  of 
the  statutes  of  the  realm  as  might  be  considered  by  the 
poor  to  be  adverse  to  their  interests.  By  his  speeches 
he  obtained  great  success,  and  a  sort  of  periodical  that 
he  issued,  entitled  The  Lion,  was  greedily  bought  and 
distributed.  But  it  ran  through  eight  numbers  only. 
The  full  title  was  "The  Lion.  The  British  Lion  will 
be  free.  Heaven  is  his  throne  and  earth  is  his  footstool. 
He  spake  and  it  was  done,  he  commanded  and  it  stood 
fast.  Liberty,  truth  bears  off  the  victory,  independ- 
ence." 

He  then  started  for  Devonshire,  accompanied  by  a 
gentleman  who  so  firmly  believed  in  his  pretensions 
that  he  defrayed  his  expenses  to  the  amount  of  a  thou- 
sand pounds.  This  man,  Mr.  George  Denne,  and  a 
young  surgeon  named  Robinson  were  completely 
duped  by  him.  ''My  dearest  George,"  said  the 
Knight  of  Malta  to  the  former,  ''it  may  please 
Heaven  to  take  me  in  a  short  time  from  this  sphere 
of  my  sublunary  greatness,  to  translate  me  to  the 
beatitude  of  another  world." 

"  I  hope  not,  Sir  William,"  said  George  Denne. 

"But,"  continued  Sir  William,  "I  shall  carry  with 
me  the  pleasing  satisfaction  of  having  provided  in  a 
truly  princely  manner  for  those  who,  whilst  I  was 
on  earth,  had  the  sense  and  sagacity  to  see  into  the 
nobility  of  my  character,  and  to  acknowledge  me  as 
Lord  Viscount  William  Courtenay,  of  Powderham 
Castle,  Knight  of  Malta,  King  of  Jerusalem,  Prince  of 
Arabia,  King  of  the  Gypsies,  and  all  the  other  honours 
and  titles  which  by  descent  or  creation  belong  to  me. 
To  you,  therefore,  George  Denne,  I  bequeath  the 
Hales'  estate,  with  the  proviso  that  you  erect  a  monu- 


JOHN    NICHOLS   TOM  6oi 

ment  on  the  highest  ground  on  that  estate  to  the 
memory  of  me,  the  great  Lord  of  Devon,  the  regenerator 
of  the  world,  and  one  of  the  greatest  benefactors  whom 
the  human  race  ever  saw." 

In  like  manner  he  bequeathed  to  Mr.  Robinson  the 
whole  of  Powderham  Castle  and  all  its  valuable  paint- 
•  ings,  together  with  one-half  of  the  lands  belonging  to 
the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Canterbury  Cathedral. 

It  will  hardly  be  credited  to  what  an  extent  he  was 
run  after  at  Canterbury.  Professional  men,  such  as 
physicians,  surgeons,  solicitors,  also  gentlemen  of  in- 
dependent property  and  tradesmen  of  the  first  respect- 
ability, were  his  staunch  supporters,  and  daily  invited 
him  to  their  table,  and  introduced  him  to  the  bosom 
of  their  families.  The  invitations  which  he  received 
to  dinners,  teas,  and  suppers  were  so  numerous  that 
he  was  known  to  attend  several  parties  in  a  few  hours. 
Mothers  with  marriageable  daughters  hunted  him  in 
packs. 

But — it  was  asked — why  did  not  Sir  William  take 
possession  of  his  extensive  estates  in  Devon?  It  was 
to  do  this  that  he  started,  attended  by  his  faithful 
squire,  Mr.  George  Denne.  On  reaching  Exmouth, 
Sir  William  despatched  his  squire  to  the  authorities 
of  the  place  to  announce  his  arrival,  and  that  as  Lord 
of  Devon  and  King  of  Jerusalem  he  would  hold  a  levee 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  at  which  he  would  be 
ready  to  receive  them  and  lay  before  them  his  right 
and  title  to  Powderham  Castle  and  the  estates  belong- 
ing to  it. 

But  when  the  hour  of  the  levee  arrived  only  one  man 
appeared,  and  that  was  the  steward  of  the  Earl  of  Devon, 
who  came  very  bluntly  to  inform  him  that  should  he 
venture  to  set  foot  within  the  private  grounds  of  Powder- 
ham Castle  he  would  be  prosecuted  for  trespass. 


6o2  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Next  day  Sir  William  repaired  to  the  newspaper 
office  at  Exmouth,  and  drew  up  an  advertisement, 
purporting  to  be  an  announcement  of  the  arrival  of  the 
rightful  Earl  of  Devon  for  the  purpose  of  taking  posses- 
sion of  Powderham  Castle,  and  a  statement  to  the 
effect  that  he  was  now  recalled  to  the  metropolis  to 
appear  before  the  House  of  Lords  to  substantiate  his 
claim.  The  editor  laughed  in  his  face,  refused  to 
insert  what  was  handed  over  to  him,  and  tore  it  to 
shreds. 

Full  of  wrath.  Sir  William  shook  off  the  dust  from 
his  feet  as  a  testimony  against  Exmouth,  and  departed 
for  London,  where  he  remained  two  or  three  days,  and 
then  returned  to  Canterbury. 

There  he  speedily  involved  himself  in  difficulties  by 
his  exertions  in  favour  of  some  smugglers.  An  action 
had  taken  place  in  July,  1833,  between  the  revenue 
cutter  Lively  and  the  Admiral  Hood,  smuggler,  near 
Goodwin  Sands,  and  in  the  course  of  the  flight  of  the 
latter  vessel  her  crew  were  observed  to  throw  over- 
board a  great  number  of  tubs,  which  on  being  picked 
up  proved  to  contain  spirits.  Th.Q  Admiral  Hood  \va.s 
captured,  but  no  contraband  goods  were  found  on 
board  ;  and  on  the  men  being  taken  into  custody,  Tom 
presented  himself  as  a  witness  before  the  magistrates, 
and  swore  most  positively  that  he  had  seen  the  whole 
affair,  and  that  no  tubs  had  been  thrown  from  the 
Admiral  Hood ;  he  further  stated  that  he  had  observed 
those  which  had  been  picked  up  by  the  revenue  officers 
floating  about  on  the  water  many  hours  before  the 
Admiral  Hood  came  near  the  Goodwins.  This  was  so 
diametrically  opposed  to  the  truth  that  a  prosecution 
for  perjury  was  resolved  on,  and  he  was  indicted  at  the 
Maidstone  Assizes  on  July  25th,  1833.  It  was  then 
proved  that  Sir  William,  on  the  very  day  on  which  the 


JOHN    NICHOLS   TOM  603 

action  had  taken  place,  Sunday,  the  17th  February, 
had  been  twenty-five  miles  distant  at  Boughton-under- 
Blean,  near  Canterbury,  and  at  the  very  hour  of  the 
action  had  been  at  church  there.  A  verdict  of  con- 
viction followed,  and  Mr.  Justice  Park,  the  presiding 
judge,  passed  a  sentence  of  imprisonment  for  three 
months,  to  be  followed  by  seven  years  of  transporta- 
tion beyond  the  seas. 

This  having  reached  the  ears  of  his  relations  in 
Cornwall,  representations  were  made  by  them  to  the 
Home  Secretary  that  he  was  insane,  and  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  a  lunatic  asylum  at  Harming  Heath,  where 
he  remained  for  four  years,  but  whence  he  still  issued 
addresses  to  his  adherents  in  Canterbury  and  inter- 
fered in  the  election  of  councillors.  There  he  remained 
for  five  years,  and  then  a  determined  effort  was  made 
by  his  father  and  friends,  and  by  Sir  Hussey  Brian,  to 
obtain  his  liberation,  and  Lord  John  Russell  ordered 
his  liberation.  This  was  an  electioneering  manoeuvre, 
and  Lord  John  had  some  difficulty  in  justifying  his 
conduct  in  the  House  when  later  taken  to  task  for 
having  set  this  madman  free. 

On  quitting  the  asylum,  Tom  hoped  to  take  up  his 
residence  with  a  Mr.  G.  Francis,  with  whom  he  had 
been  on  terms  of  intimacy  before.  But  Mr.  Francis 
was  by  this  time  disillusioned,  and  when  the  Knight  of 
Malta  presented  himself  before  him  armed  with  a  new 
pair  of  pistols,  he  remonstrated  with  him,  and  ordered 
him  to  quit  the  house  ;  when  he  went  to  a  cottage  hard 
by  occupied  by  one  Wills,  who  was  completely  the  dupe 
of  Tom,  and  a  passionate  agitator.  Then  he  went  to 
Bossenden  Farm  occupied  by  a  person  named  Culver. 
He  gave  out  that  he  was  the  true  proprietor  of  many 
of  the  finest  estates  in  Kent,  but  that  he  would  not 
enter  into  possession  for  two  years.     In  addition  to  his 


6o4  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

living  upon  and  amongst  the  farmers,  he  induced 
many  of  them  to  give  him  large  sums  of  money, 
promising  that  for  every  shilling  lent  he  would  return 
a  pound  ;  and  that,  when  he  was  in  full  possession  of 
his  estates,  all  his  followers  should  have  land  free  from 
rent  according  to  their  deserts.  These  promises  made 
many  dupes,  and  enabled  him  to  indulge  in  luxuries 
which  excited  the  astonishment  of  those  not  acquainted 
with  his  resources,  and  made  many  believe  that  he  was 
what  he  pretended  to  be — really  a  nobleman  of  large 
property.  To  keep  up  this  notion  he  made  presents  to 
various  individuals  ;  thus,  to  a  fellow  who  had  been 
prosecuted  by  the  Revenue,  Courtenay  gave  two 
horses  worth  ^40.  He  was  fond  of  displaying  himself 
in  fantastic  dresses  ;  he  allowed  his  hair  and  beard,  that 
was  coal-black,  to  grow  long ;  and  he  taught  his 
followers  to  roar  his  battle  song,  of  which  only  a  few 
verses  can  be  given  here  : — 

Hark  !  old  England's  pris'ners'  groan — 
'Tis  a  deep  and  mournful  tone — 
From  oppression  to  be  free, 
And  enjoy  true  liberty. 

Chorus. 

Britons  must  be — will  be  free  ; 
Truth  bears  off  the  victory  ! 

Lo  !  deliverance  is  at  hand  ; 
Courtenay's  made  a  noble  stand  ; 
He  the  tyrants  has  arous'd — 
He  has  freedom's  cause  espous'd, 

Britons  must  be,  etc. 

Courtenay's  cause  is  good,  is  just, 
Safely  we  in  him  may  trust : 
Truth  and  virtue's  on  his  side, 
We  will  still  in  him  confide. 

Britons  must  be,  ecc. 


JOHN   NICHOLS   TOM  605 

Men  and  devils  still  may  rage, 
Their  united  powers  engage — 
Infidelity  shall  fall, 
Christ  shall  then  be  all  in  all. 

Britons  must  be,  etc. 

Slav'ry's  chains  shall  then  be  broke, 
We  shall  soon  cast  off  the  yoke. 
Independence  is  our  right, 
Victory  soon  shall  crown  the  fight. 

Britons  must  be,  etc. 

Corp'rate  bodies  then  shall  cease, 
They're  destruction  to  our  peace  ; 
Party  spirit  shall  no  more 
Tyrannize  with  lawless  pow'r. 

Britons  must  be,  etc. 

Then,  when  victory's  palm  is  won, 
Glorious  as  the  summer  sun, 
Shall  Lord  Courtenay's  cause  arise, 
Showing  forth  in  cloudless  skies. 

Britons  must  be,  etc. 

Harrison  Ainsworth,  who  has  introduced  Courtenay 
into  his  novel  Rookiwod^  thus  accurately  describes  him: 
*' A  magnificent  coal-black  beard  decorated  the  chin  of 
this  worthy  ;  but  this  was  not  all — his  costume  was  in 
perfect  keeping  with  his  beard,  and  consisted  of  a  very 
theatrical-looking  suit,  upon  the  breast  of  which  was 
embroidered  in  gold  wire  the  Maltese  cross  ;  while  on 
his  shoulders  were  thrown  the  ample  folds  of  a  cloak 
of  Tyrian  hue.  To  his  side  was  girt  a  long  and 
doughty  sword,  which  he  termed,  in  his  knightly 
phrase,  Excalibur  ;  and  upon  his  profuse  hair  rested 
a  hat  as  broad  in  the  brim  as  a  Spanish  sombrero. 
Exaggerated  as  this  description  may  appear,  we  can 
assure  our  readers  that  it  is  not  overdrawn." 

He  now  resumed  his  rambles  round  Kent,  and 
visited  the  cottages  wherever  he  went,  giving  himself 


6o6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

out  to  be  Jesus  Christ  come  back  on  earth  to  sift 
the  wheat  from  the  chaff  before  setting  up  his  mil- 
lennial kingdom.  He  showed  his  hands  and  feet  and 
side  marked  with  red — but  there  must  have  been  con- 
scious fraud  on  his  part,  for  after  his  death  no  such 
scars  could  be  found.  Many  of  the  poor  and  ignorant 
believed  in  him  and  followed  him.  His  head-quarters 
were  for  a  while  the  house  of  one  of  his  most  devoted 
followers  named  Wills,  but  he  presently  left  that  and  re- 
moved to  a  farmhouse  at  Boughton,  where  lived  a  farmer 
called  Culver,  who  was  also  a  believer.  He  infatuated 
the  women  even  more  than  the  men,  for  he  was  tall, 
dark,  and  handsome,  and  they  took  up  his  cause  pas- 
sionately, and  urged  their  husbands  and  fathers  to  follow 
him,  "because  he  was  the  very  Christ,  and  unless 
they  adhered  to  him  fire  would  come  down  from  Heaven 
and  consume  them." 

Instances  occurred,  and  that  by  no  means  infre- 
quently, in  which  he  presented  himself  to  be  worshipped 
as  God  by  the  ignorant  peasantry. 

At  length  this  excitement  was  destined  to  be  brought 
to  a  conclusion. 

On  Monday,  May  28th,  1838,  Tom,  with  about  fifteen 
followers,  sallied  forth  from  the  village  of  Boughton 
without  having  any  very  distinct  object  in  view,  and 
proceeded  to  the  cottage  of  Wills.  Here  they  formed 
in  column  ;  and  a  loaf  having  been  procured  it  was 
placed  at  the  top  of  a  pole,  which  bore  a  flag  of  blue 
and  white,  upon  which  a  lion  rampant  was  drawn. 
Wills  having  joined  them,  they  marched  to  Goodre- 
stone,  near  Faversham  ;  and  on  the  way  Tom 
harangued  the  country  people,  who  came  out  into  the 
roads.  From  thence  they  went  to  a  farm  at  Heme 
Hill,  where  they  received  food,  and  then  on  to  Dargate 
Common.     Here,  by  Tom's  orders,  all  prayed.    After 


1 


JOHN    NICHOLS   TOM  607 

this  they  proceeded  to  Bossenden  Farm,  where  they 
rested  for  the  night  in  a  barn. 

At  three  o'clock  on  Tuesday  morning  they  went  to 
Sittingbourne,  and  there  Tom  provided  them  with 
breakfast,  for  which  he  paid  twenty-seven  shilHngs. 
Thence  they  marched  to  Newnham,  where,  at  the 
George  Inn,  they  received  a  similar  treat.  What  they 
went  marching  for  not  one  of  these  deluded  men  seemed 
to  know,  unless  it  were  to  gather  recruits  ;  and  in 
this  he  was  successful.  Wherever  he  went — at  East- 
ling,  Throwley,  Sildswick,  Lees,  and  Selling — he  de- 
livered speeches,  made  promises,  and  obtained  ad- 
herents. Then  the  whole  party  returned  to  Bossenden 
Farm.  Here  there  was  an  extensive  wood,  in  which  the 
true  Canterbury  bell  is  found.  The  district  is  called 
the  Blean,  and  here  a  condition  of  affairs  existed  that 
greatly  helped  on  the  cause  of  Tom.  In  the  eighteenth 
century  much  of  the  Blean  was  taken  possession  of  by 
a  number  of  squatters,  who  settled  on  the  ground, 
then  extra-parochial,  as  a  ''  free  port,"  from  which  none 
could  dislodge  them,  and  there  they  remained  paying 
rent  to  none.  Now  the  poor  deluded  peasants  of  the 
neighbourhood  conceived  the  idea  that  Tom,  or 
Courtenay,  as  he  had  called  himself,  was  the  promised 
Messiah  who  was  come  to  give  to  them  all  lands  to  be 
their  own,  on  which  each  man  might  sit  under  his  own 
vine,  and  that  the  rich  and  large-landed  proprietors 
would  be  cast  out  and  consumed  by  the  breath  of  his 
mouth. 

During  the  tramp  of  these  enthusiasts  about  the 
country,  a  farmer  named  Curling  lost  some  of  his 
labourers,  who  were  enticed  away  from  their  work  to 
follow  with  the  rest.  Curling  at  once  mounted  his 
horse  and  went  to  a  magistrate,  and  procured  from  him 
a   warrant   for   the   apprehension    of    Courtenay    alias 


6o8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Tom.  Nicholas  Meares,  a  constable,  and  his  brother 
were  entrusted  to  execute  the  warrant ;  and  on  Thursday 
morning,  31st  May,  about  six  o'clock,  they  hastened  to 
Culver's  farm  to  secure  the  men.  Upon  their  present- 
ing themselves,  Courtenay  stood  forward,  and  before 
Meares  could  read  the  warrant  shot  him  dead.  He  then 
went  into  the  house,  exclaiming  to  those  who  were 
there,  "  Now  am  I  not  your  Saviour?"  and  then  issuing 
from  the  house  again,  he  discharged  a  second  pistol 
into  the  body  of  Meares,  and  proceeded  to  mutilate  it 
barbarously  with  his  sword. 

The  news  of  this  murder  was  conveyed  to  the  magis- 
trates, and  they  proceeded  to  take  steps  for  the  appre- 
hension of  Courtenay.  But  the  latter  at  once  called 
out  his  men,  and  they  marched  into  Bossenden  Wood, 
and  there  profanely  he  imitated  the  Last  Supper  and 
administered  to  his  dupes  in  bread  and  water.  This 
over,  a  man  named  Alexander  Foad  knelt  down  in 
the  presence  of  the  rest  and  worshipped  him  as  his 
Saviour,  and  demanded  whether  he  were  required  to 
follow  him  in  body,  or  whether  he  might  be  allowed  to 
return  to  his  home  and  follow  him  in  spirit.  Courtenay 
replied,  "In  the  body";  whereupon  Foad  sprang  to  his 
feet,  exclaiming,  "Oh!  be  joyful,  be  joyful!  the 
Saviour  has  accepted  me.  Now  go  on  ;  I  will  follow 
till  I  drop." 

Another  man,  named  Blanchard,  also  worshipped 
him,  and  Courtenay  then  said,  in  reference  to  the  murder 
of  Meares,  "  I  was  executing  the  justice  of  Heaven  in 
consequence  of  the  power  that  God  has  given  me." 

At  twelve  o'clock  Tom  and  his  followers  shifted 
their  position  to  an  osier-bed,  and  there  he  harangued 
them,  informing  them  that  he  and  all  such  as  believed 
in  him  would  be  invulnerable.  He  defied  the  magis- 
trates  and   all  the   power  of  the   world  :   his  was  the 


PERCY    HONKYWOOD   COURTEXAY,    KNIGHT   OK    MALTA,    ETC.,    ETC. 
AS    HE   APPEARED    AT    IHE    ELECTION    IN    1832 


JOHN    NICHOLS   TOM  609 

Kingdom  of  Heaven;  and  then  he  advised  his  followers 
to  take  up  a  position  in  ambush  in  the  wood.  At  this 
time  Tom  noticed  that  a  Mr.  Handley,  of  Heme  Hill, 
was  observing  their  actions,  and  Courtenay  alias  Tom 
fired  at  him  ;  but  he  was  beyond  the  range,  and  he 
happily  missed  his  aim. 

In  the  meantime  the  magistrates  had  taken  steps  to 
put  an  end  to  this  fiasco.  They  had  despatched  a 
messenger  to  Canterbury  to  summon  the  military,  and 
a  detachment  of  a  hundred  men  of  the  45th  Foot,  under 
the  command  of  Major  Armstrong,  was  placed  at  their 
disposal,  and  marched  to  Boughton.  As  the  party  of 
Courtenay  was  in  the  wood,  the  magistrates  and  the 
soldiery  and  the  constables  marched  thither.  The 
wood  is  of  very  considerable  extent,  but  was  intersected 
by  the  main  road  from  London  and  Chatham  to  Canter- 
bury, which  was  cut  across  by  another  road,  a  parish 
road,  at  right  angles.  It  was  found  that  the  insurgent 
party  was  so  placed  that  their  front  and  rear  were 
covered  by  the  roads  right  and  left.  The  military  were 
in  consequence  divided  ;  and  whilst  one  party  of  fifty 
took  the  road  leading  to  Canterbury,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Reed,  the  other  was  conducted  by 
Major  Armstrong,  assisted  by  Lieutenants  Bennett  and 
Prendergast,  along  the  road  that  led  to  Boulton-under- 
Blean.  Thus  the  insurgents  were  placed  between  two 
bodies  of  troops,  and  their  only  chance  of  escape  was  to 
retreat  in  a  straight  line  through  the  wood.  But  Tom 
alias  Courtenay  had  no  intention  of  retiring,  and  he 
boldly  faced  Major  Armstrong  with  the  men  behind 
him  drawn  up,  armed  with  picks  and  reaping-hooks. 
He  was  summoned  to  surrender,  but  turned  and  bade 
his  followers  be  of  good  cheer  and  prepare  for  conflict. 
These  numbered  from  thirty  to  forty  men.  Courtenay 
gave  the  order  to  charge,  and  advanced  on  the  soldiers, 
2  R 


6io  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

when  Lieutenant  Bennett  drew  his  sword  and,  heading 
the  miHtary,  ran  forward,  and  was  shot  by  Courtenay  ; 
the  ball,  entering  his  right  side,  passed  completely 
through  the  body  of  the  young  officer,  who  reeled  and 
fell  dead  on  the  spot.  At  this  moment  a  constable 
named  Millwood  sprang  forward  and  felled  Tom,  but 
as  the  madman  rose  to  his  feet  again,  he  was  struck  by 
a  ball  from  the  military,  for  they  had  received  orders  to 
fire  from  Major  Armstrong,  who  was  on  horseback.  By 
the  discharge  eight  men  were  killed  on  the  spot  and 
several  were  wounded ;  but  the  wretched  peasantry 
fought  desperately,  till  at  last  dispersed  by  the  charge 
of  the  soldiers  under  Armstrong,  and  those  under 
Captain  Reed  taking  them  in  flank,  when  they  scat- 
tered and  fled  through  the  wood. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  twenty-seven  prisoners 
were  taken,  of  whom  seven  were  suffering  from  wounds, 
two  of  whom  died  shortly  after. 

Of  the  party  employed  in  maintaining  the  law, 
George  Catt,  a  constable,  was  shot  under  a  mistaken 
apprehension  that  he  was  one  of  the  rioters  ;  and  Lieu- 
tenant Prendergast  received  a  contused  wound  on  the 
head  from  the  bludgeon  of  an  insurgent. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  week  the  coroner  was 
engaged  in  conducting  the  necessary  inquiries  into  the 
cause  of  death  of  the  deceased  persons.  Verdicts  of 
"Wilful  murder"  were  returned  in  the  cases  of  the 
constable  Meares,  and  of  Lieutenant  Bennett,  against 
Courtenay  and  his  adherents  ;  whilst  in  the  case  of 
Catt,  the  jury  found  ''That  he  had  been  killed  upon  an 
erroneous  belief  that  he  was  a  rioter." 

In  the  cases  of  death  among  the  insurgents,  the  jury 
found  a  verdict  of  ''Justifiable  homicide." 

The  coroner  conducted  the  investigations  at  the  Red 
Lion   Inn,  Boughton,  where  the  yard  was  full  of  the 


JOHN    NICHOLS   TOM  6ii 

wives,  widows,  and  children  of  these  deluded  men  ; 
whilst  the  wounded  lay  on  stretchers,  as  also  the  bodies 
of  the  slain,  in  a  stable  ;  the  prisoners  were  in  a  lock- 
up, whence  they  were  brought  handcuffed  to  the  tavern 
to  be  examined.  During  the  sitting  of  the  jury,  two 
of  the  wounded  men  died,  and  upon  their  decease 
being  communicated  to  those  outside,  they  gave 
vent  to  their  feelings  in  loud  wails.  The  body  of 
Lieutenant  Bennett  lay  in  an  upper  chamber  of  the 
inn.  He  was  but  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and 
had  just  obtained  leave  of  absence  when  the  news  of 
the  outbreak  reached  the  barracks,  whereupon  he 
applied  and  obtained  permission  to  join  the  party.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  proceedings  before  the  coroner 
and  the  magistrates  nineteen  prisoners  were  committed 
for  trial.  Ten  of  the  rioters  had  been  killed.  Out  of 
the  prisoners,  Meares,  a  cousin  of  the  murdered  con- 
stable, Foad,  and  Couchworth  were  wounded.  Foad 
was  a  respectable  farmer,  cultivating  about  sixty  acres. 
A  woman,  Sarah  Culver,  was  kinswoman  of  the  farmer 
who  had  first  sent  to  the  magistrates.  She  was  pos- 
sessed of  considerable  property,  and  was  forty  years  of 
age.  She  had  been  a  devoted  follower  of  Courtenay  ; 
but  it  may  be  presumed  that  she,  like  him,  was  in- 
sane. 

On  Tuesday,  5th  June,  the  greater  number  of  those 
who  had  been  killed  in  the  riot  were  interred  in  the 
churchyard  of  Heme  Hill.  Amongst  these  was  Tom. 
Great  crowds  attended,  amongst  them  his  adherents, 
who  were  in  expectation  that  he  would  rise  again  and 
confound  his  enemies.  Some  apprehensions  were  enter- 
tained lest  the  mob  should  use  violence  to  prevent  the 
burial  of  their  late  fanatical  leader,  but  the  whole  affair 
passed  off  quietly. 

At    the   Maidstone   Assizes  on   Thursday,    the  9th 


6i2  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

August,  1838,  the  trial  of  the  prisoners  commenced 
before  Lord  Denman. 

Ten  of  the  prisoners  were  found  guilty  of  murder  and 
were  condemned  to  death,  but  were  informed  that  the 
sentence  would  be  commuted,  and  their  lives  be  spared. 
The  prosecutions  in  the  cases  of  the  other  prisoners 
were  not  proceeded  with,  and  they  were  discharged. 

From  the  admissions  of  the  prisoners,  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  Courtenay  had  promised  his  followers  on 
the  following  Sunday  to  lead  them  to  Canterbury,  to 
set  fire  to  the  city  and  to  have  "a  glorious  but  a  bloody 
day." 

Tom  had  assured  his  adherents  that  death  had  no 
power  over  him ;  that  even  though  he  might 
seem  to  die  he  would  rise  again  in  a  month,  if  a  little 
water  were  applied  to  his  lips.  Accordingly,  for  a 
considerable  time  after  he  was  buried,  the  ignorant 
people  waited  in  lively  expectation  that  he  would  re- 
appear. 

Of  the  prisoners,  Meares  and  Wills  were  ordered  to  be 
transported  for  life  ;  Price  for  ten  years.  The  other 
seven  were  to  undergo  one  year's  imprisonment  with 
hard  labour.  A  pension  of  ^40  per  annum  was  granted 
to  the  widow  of  Meares  the  constable. 

Good  comes  out  of  evil,  and  one  result  of  this  lament- 
able affair  was  that  attention  was  drawn  to  the  abysmal 
ignorance  of  the  peasantry  of  the  Blean,  and  that  schools 
were  at  once  erected  at  Dunkirk,  to  introduce  a  better 
knowledge  and  sense  into  the  heads  of  the  rising 
generation. 

A  full  account  of  the  whole  affair  was  published  at 
Faversham  directly  after  the  event,  of  which  this  is  the 
title:  '*  An  account  of  the  desperate  affray  which  took 
place  in  Blean  Wood,  near  Boughton,  Thursday,  31st 
May,   1838,  between  a  party  of  agricultural  labourers, 


JOHN   NICHOLS   TOM  613 

headed  by  the  self-styled  Sir  William  Courtenay,  and  a 
detachment  of  the  45th  Regiment  of  Foot,  commanded 
by  Major  Elliott  Armstrong,  acting  under  the  orders  of 
the  County  Magistrates,  together  with  the  whole  of  the 
evidence  taken  before  T.  T.  Delasaux,  Esq.,  coroner, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Bow,  N.  J.  Knatchbull,  Esq.,  and  W.  C. 
Fairman,  Esq.,  drawn  from  authentic  documents. 
With  an  account  of  the  funerals  of  the  parties." 

There  is  another  work,  a  copy  of  which  is  now  in  the 
British  Museum,  and  is  illustrated  with  a  portrait  of 
Tom,  a  plate  representing  the  murder  of  Meares, 
soldiers  entering  Bossenden  Wood  ;  the  scene  of  action, 
the  "  Red  Lion,"  where  the  bodies  lay;  the  interior  of 
the  stable  with  six  of  the  bodies  ;  Sir  William  Courtenay 
as  he  appeared  after  the  post-mortem  examination,  and 
portraits  of  Tyler  and  Price,  two  of  the  rioters.  The 
title  of  the  work  is:  "The  Life  and  Extraordinary 
Adventures  of  Sir  William  Courtenay,  Knight  of  Malta, 
alias  John  Nichols  Tom,  formerly  spirit  merchant  and 
maltster  of  Truro  in  Cornwall,  being  a  correct  detail  of 
all  the  incidents  of  his  extraordinary  life,  from  his 
infancy  to  the  dreadful  battle  of  Bossenden  Wood  .  .  . 
with  facsimiles  of  that  eccentric  character,  concluding 
with  an  accurate  account  of  the  trial  of  the  rioters  at  the 
Maidstone  Assizes.  By  Canterburiensis.  Canterbury  : 
published  by  James  Hunt,  and  sold  in  London  by  T. 
Kelly,  Paternoster  Row,  1838." 

Passages  from  tJie  A  utobiography  of  a  Man  of  Kent, 
edited  by  R.  Fitzroy  Stanley  (i.e.  Robert  Coutars) 
1866,  may  be  consulted  ;  also  The  Times  for  June,  1838. 


THE    BOHELLAND   TRAGEDY 

IN  the  parish  of  Gluvias  by  Penryn  is  Bohelland. 
Fifty  years  ago  there  was  a  ruin  hereof  a  roofless 
house,  with  the  gables  standing.  Now  all  that 
remains  is  a  fragment  of  wall.  Tradition  re- 
garding the  field  in  which  the  house  stood  is,  that  it 
invariably  brings  ill  luck  to  him  who  owns  or  rents  it. 
The  way  from  Penryn  to  Enys,  a  lane,  leads  by  it,  and 
the  fragment  of  wall  abuts  on  the  lane.  Bohelland  is 
not  marked  on  the  one-inch,  but  is  on  the  six-inch 
ordnance  map.  Anciently  it  was  called  the  Behethlan, 
and  Gluvias  Church  was  called  Capella  de  Behethlan 
under  S.  Budock. 

In  the  possession  of  J.  D.  Enys,  Esq.,  of  Enys,  is  a 
MS.  pedigree  of  the  family  to  whom  Bohelland  be- 
longed. It  runs  as  follows:  **John  Behethlan  was 
seized  of  lands  in  agro  Behethlan,  and  had  issue  two 
daughters,  Margery  and  Joan,  and  the  said  Margery 
took  to  husband  Roger  Polwheyrell,  and  had  issue 
Nicholas  Polwheyrell  ;  the  said  Nicholas  Polwheyrell 
had  issue  James  Polwheyrell  ;  the  said  James  Pol- 
wheyrell had  issue  Richard,  Margery,  Joan  and  Isabel, 
and  the  said  Richard  married  Maud  Polgiau,  and  they 
had  issue  Nichola,  and  the  said  Nichola  took  to  husband 
John  Penweyre,  and  had  issue  Thomas  Penweyre, 
who  died  without  heirs.  The  said  Margery  took  to 
husband  Symon  Martharwyler,  and  had  issue  Elsota 
and  Meliora.  The  said  Elsota  took  to  husband 
Nicholas   Mantle,    now  living,    and  had    issue  Isabel, 

614 


THE    BOHELLAND   TRAGEDY  615 

who  took  to  husband  John  Restaden,  now  living. 
The  said  Meliora  took  to  husband  Michael  John, 
vicar,^  and  had  issue  Joan,  Elizabeth,  and  Margaret. 

*'  The  said  Joan  took  to  husband  Hugh  Sandre,  now 
living.  The  said  Elizabeth  took  to  husband  Laurence 
Michell,  now  living  ;  the  said  Margaret  took  to  hus- 
band James  Curallak,  now  living.  The  said  Joan, 
second  daughter  of  the  said  James  Polwheyrell,  took 
to  husband  John  Trelecoeth,  and  had  issue  Marina  and 
Joan.  The  said  Isabel,  third  daughter  of  the  said 
James,  took  to  husband  William  son  of  John  Tryarne, 
and  died  without  issue." 

Unfortunately  this  pedigree  does  not  contain  a  single 
date,  but  we  should  obtain  one  approximately  by  the 
marriage  of  Meliora,  daughter  of  Simon  Martharwyla, 
with  Michael  John,  vicar,  if  we  could  trace  him.  With 
her  descended  the  inheritance  of  Behethlan  to  her 
daughter  Joan  who  married  Hugh  Sandry. 

The  story  of  the  Bohelland  or  Behethlan  tragedy  is 
contained  in  a  pamphlet  of  eight  leaves,  black  letter, 
and  accompanied  by  rude  woodcuts,  entitled  News 
from  Penrin,  in  Cornivall,  1618.  A  unique  copy  is  in 
the  Bodleian  Library. 

Sanderson,  in  his  Annals  of  King  James,  1656,  gives 
the  same  story.  Sir  William  Sanderson  says  that 
**  the  imprinted  relation  conceals  the  names,  in  favour 
of  some  neighbours  of  repute  and  kin  to  the  family," 
and  that  "the  same  sense  made  him  thereon  silent 
also." 

Now,  according  to  the  story,  there  were  four  deaths, 
one  a  murder,  and  two  by  suicide,  and  one  might 
expect  to  obtain  these  names  from  the  parish  register. 
But  this  register,  which  goes  back  into  the  middle  of 

'  No  such  a  vicar  was  in  Gluvias  or  is  known  to  have  been  in  Corn- 
wall in  the  sixteenth  and  early  seventeenth  centuries. 


6i6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

the  sixteenth  century,  has  the  page  or  pages  removed 
for  the  burials  of  1618  ;  that  is  to  say,  from  the  first 
days  of  1618  to  the  middle  of  162 1.  This  looks  much 
as  if  the  family  sought  to  destroy  every  trace  of  the 
crime. 

Hals,  in  his  MS.  History  of  Cornwall,  under  the  head 
of  Gluvias,  does  not  mention  Bohelland.  There  is  no 
help  to  be  obtained  from  the  title  deeds  of  the  estate. 
Our  sole  clue  is  the  descent  in  the  pedigree.  Meliora, 
who  married  Michael  John,  vicar,  cannot  have  done 
this  before  the  reign  of  Edward  VI,  and  it  is  not  prob- 
able that  the  marriage  took  place  till  that  of  Elizabeth. 
They  were  not  married  at  Gluvias,  and  Michael  John 
was  not  the  vicar  then.  Now  the  pedigree  carries  down 
the  descent,  with  possession  of  Bohelland  to  John 
Restadon  and  his  wife  Isabel.  The  name  Restadon 
does  not  occur  in  the  Visitations  of  Cornwall.  The 
only  other  possible  owner  would  be  Hugh  Sandry  and 
his  wife  Joan,  daughter  of  the  vicar,  Michael  John. 
But  whether  it  were  either  the  Sandrys  or  the 
Restadons,  or  some  one  else,  cannot  be  determined 
till  further  light  enters  on  this  extremely  dark  occur- 
rence. 

The  owner  of  Bohelland  was  a  man  of  some  con- 
sideration and  substance,  "unhappy  only  in  a  younger 
son,  who  taking  liberty  from  his  father's  bounty,  with 
a  crew  of  like  condition,  that  wearied  on  land,  they 
went  roving  to  sea,  and  in  a  small  vessel  southward, 
took  booty  from  all  they  could  master,  and  so  in- 
creasing force  and  wealth,  ventured  in  a  Turk's  man 
in  the  Streights  ;  but  by  mischance  their  own  powder 
fired  themselves,  and  our  gallant,  trusting  to  his  skilful 
swimming,  got  on  shore  upon  Rhodes  with  the  best 
of  his  jewels  about  him  ;  when,  offering  some  to  sale 
to   a   Jew,    who  knew  them   to   be  the    Governor's  of 


THE    BOHELLAND   TRAGEDY  617 

Algier,  he  was  apprehended,  and  as  a  pirate  sentenced 
to  the  gallies  among  other  Christians,  when  miser- 
able slavery  made  them  all  studious  of  freedom,  and 
with  wit  and  valour,  took  opportunity  and  means  to 
murther  some  officers,  got  on  board  of  an  English  ship, 
and  came  safe  to  London,  where  his  misery  and  some 
skill  made  him  servant  to  a  surgeon  and  sudden  pre- 
ferment to  the  East  Indies.  There  by  this  means  he 
got  money,  with  which,  returning  back,  he  designed 
himself  for  his  native  county,  Cornwall.  And  in  a 
small  ship  from  London,  sailing  to  the  west,  was  cast 
away  upon  that  coast.  But  his  excellent  skill  in 
swimming  and  former  fate  to  boot,  brought  him  safe 
to  shore,  where,  since  his  fifteen  years'  absence,  his 
father's  former  fortunes  much  decayed,  now  retired 
him  not  far  off  to  a  country  habitation,  in  debt  and 
danger. 

"His  sister  he  finds  married  to  a  mercer,  a  meaner 
match  than  her  birth  promised.  To  her  at  first  he 
appears  a  poor  stranger,  but  in  private  reveals  him- 
self, and  withall  what  jewels  and  gold  he  had  con- 
cealed in  a  bow-case  about  him,  and  concluded  that 
the  next  day  he  intended  to  appear  to  his  parents,  and 
to  keep  his  disguise  till  she  and  her  husband  should 
meet,  and  make  their  common  joy  complete. 

'^  Being  come  to  his  parents,  his  humble  behaviour, 
suitable  to  his  suit  of  clothes,  melted  the  old  couple 
to  so  much  compassion  as  to  give  him  covering  from 
the  cold  season  under  their  outward  roof,  and  by 
degrees  his  travelling  tales,  told  with  passion  to  the 
aged  people,  made  him  their  guest  so  long  by  the 
kitchen  fire,  that  the  husband  took  his  leave  and  went 
to  bed,  and  soon  after,  his  true  stories  working  com- 
passion in  the  weaker  vessel,  she  wept,  and  so  did  he  ; 
but,  compassionate  of  her  tears,  he  comforted  her  with 


6i8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

a  piece  of  gold,  which  gave  assurance  that  he  deserved 
a  lodging,  to  which  she  brought  him  ;  and,  being  in 
bed,  showed  her  his  girdled  wealth,  which  he  said  was 
sufficient  to  relieve  her  husband's  wants,  and  to  spare 
for  himself,  and  being  very  weary,  fell  fast  asleep. 

"The  wife,  tempted  with  the  golden  bait  of  what 
she  had,  and  eager  of  enjoying  all,  awakened  her 
husband  with  this  news,  and  her  contrivance  what  to 
do  ;  and  though  with  horrid  apprehensions  he  oft  re- 
fused, yet  her  puling  fondness  (Eve's  enchantments) 
moved  him  to  consent,  and  rise  to  be  master  of  all, 
and  both  of  them  to  murder  the  man,  which  instantly 
they  did,  covering  the  corpse  under  the  clothes  till 
opportunity  to  convey  it  out  of  the  way. 

"  The  early  morning  hastens  the  sister  to  her  father's 
house,  when  she,  with  signs  of  joy,  enquires  for  a  sailor 
that  should  lodge  there  the  last  night.  The  parents 
slightly  denied  to  have  seen  such,  until  she  told  them 
that  he  was  her  brother,  her  lost  brother.  By  that 
assured  scar  upon  his  arm,  cut  with  a  sword  in  his 
youth,  she  knew  him,  and  were  all  resolved  this  morn- 
ing to  meet  there  and  be  merry. 

''The  father  hastily  runs  up,  finds  the  mark,  and 
with  horrid  regret  of  this  monstrous  murder  of  his 
own  son,  with  the  same  knife  cuts  his  own  throat. 

"The  wife  went  up  to  consult  with  him,  when  in  a 
most  strange  manner  beholding  them  both  in  blood, 
and  aghast,  with  the  instrument  at  hand,  readily  rips 
herself  up,  and  perishes  on  the  same  spot. 

"  The  daughter,  doubting  the  delay  of  their  absence, 
searches  for  them  all,  whom  she  found  out  too  soon, 
and  with  the  sad  sight  of  this  scene,  and  being  over- 
come with  horror  and  amaze  of  this  deluge  of  destruc- 
tion, she  sank  down  and  died  ;  the  fatal  end  of  that 
family." 


THE    BOHELLAND   TRAGEDY  619 

There  are  several  points  in  this  narrative  that  awaken 
mistrust.  How  is  the  story  of  the  son's  life  known? 
He  tells  it  to  his  sister,  but  she  dies.  Then  we  have 
an  account  of  what  went  on  in  the  house  between  the 
parents  and  the  son,  and  the  wife  urging  her  husband 
to  commit  the  murder.  As  both  killed  themselves  on 
discovering  what  they  had  done,  all  this  part  must  be 
painted  in  by  guesswork. 

That  there  is  a  substratum  of  fact  cannot  be  doubted. 
The  mysterious  mutilation  of  the  parish  register  for 
the  year  of  the  murder  indicates  a  desire  that  the  names 
might  not  be  known. 

Lillo  turned  the  story  into  a  tragedy,  The  Fatal 
Curiosity^  1736.  According  to  him  the  name  of  the 
family  was  Wilmot.  He  took  a  slight  liberty  with 
the  story,  in  that  he  made  the  returned  sailor  present 
himself  to  the  girl  he  had  loved  fifteen  years  before, 
and  not  to  his  sister.     But  he  laid  the  scene  at  Penryn. 


MARY  KELYNACK 

THE  Kelynack  family  has  been  one  of  fisher- 
men and  seamen  at  Newlyn  and  its  neigh- 
bourhood for  many  generations. 
Philip  Kelynack  was  the  first  to  fly  to  the 
rescue  of  John  Wesley  when  pursued  by  a  mob  while 
preaching  on  the  Green  between  Newlyn  and  Penzance 
1 2th  July,  1747.  He  was  a  remarkably  powerful  man, 
and  was  known  by  the  name  of  Old  Bunger.  His  son 
Charles  was  the  first  to  engage  the  Mount's  Bay  boat- 
men to  take  part  in  the  Irish  Sea  fishing  in  1720. 

Mary,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  the  daughter 
of  Nicholas  Tresize  and  the  wife  of  William  Kelynack. 
She  was  born  at  Tolcarne,  in  Madron,  1766. 

In  1851  was  the  Great  Exhibition  in  London,  and  the 
tidings  of  opening  of  a  Crystal  Palace  and  the  wonders 
that  it  contained  reached  to  the  extremity  of  Cornwall. 
Said  Mary  Kelynack,  ''I'll  go  and  see'n  too,  I 
reckon  !  "  and  away  she  trudged 

The  Illustrated  London  News  for  October  26th,  185 1, 
gives  the  following  account  of  her  : — 

"On  Tuesday,  September  24th,  among  the  visitors 
of  the  Mansion  House  was  Mary  Callinack,  eighty-four 
years  of  age,  who  had  travelled  on  foot  from  Penzance, 
carrying  a  basket  on  her  head,  with  the  object  of  visiting 
the  Exhibition  and  of  paying  her  respects  personally  to 
the  Lord  Mayor  and  Lady  Mayoress.  As  soon  as  the 
ordinary  business  was  finished  the  aged  woman  entered 
the  justice-room,  when   the   Lord   Mayor,   addressing 

620 


MAKV    KEI.VNACK 


MARY    KELYNACK  621 

her,  said,  '  Well,  I  understand,  Mrs.  Callinack,  you 
have  come  to  see  me?  ' 

''She  replied,  '  Yes,  God  bless  you.  I  never  was  in 
such  a  place  before  as  this.  I  have  come  up  asking  for 
a  small  sum  of  money,  I  am,  sir.' 

*'  The  Lord  Mayor  :   '  Where  do  you  come  from  ?  ' 

*'  Mrs.  C.  :   '  From  the  Land's  End.' 

' *  The  Lord  Mayor  :   '  From  what  part  ? ' 

"Mrs.  C.  :   '  Penzance.' 

"She  then  stated  that  she  left  Penzance  five  weeks 
ago,  and  had  been  the  whole  of  that  time  walking  to 
the  metropolis. 

"The  Lord  Mayor:  'What  induced  you  to  come  to 
London?' 

"  Mrs.  C.  :  '  I  had  a  little  matter  to  attend  to  as  well 
as  to  see  the  Exhibition.  I  was  there  yesterday,  and 
mean  to  go  again  to-morrow.' 

' '  The  Lord  Mayor  :   '  What  do  you  think  of  it  ? ' 

"  Mrs.  C.  :   '  I  think  it  very  good.'" 

She  then  said  that  all  her  money  was  spent  but  5id. 
After  a  little  further  conversation,  which  caused  con- 
siderable merriment,  the  Lord  Mayor  made  her  a 
present  of  a  sovereign,  telling  her  to  take  care  of  it, 
there  being  a  good  many  thieves  in  London.  The 
poor  creature,  on  receiving  the  gift,  burst  into  tears 
and  said,  "  Now  I  will  be  able  to  get  back." 

She  was  afterwards  received  by  the  Lady  Mayoress, 
with  whom  she  remained  some  time,  and  having  par- 
taken of  tea  in  the  housekeeper's  room,  which  she  said 
she  preferred  to  the  choicest  wine  in  the  kingdom 
(which  latter  beverage  she  had  not  tasted  for  sixty 
years),  she  returned  thanks  for  the  hospitality  she  had 
received  and  left  the  Mansion  House. 

Her  next  visit  was  to  the  Exhibition. 

She  was  also  presented  to  the  Queen  and  to  Prince 


622  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Albert,  and  there  is  mention  of  this  presentation  in 
Sir  Theodore  Martin's  Life  of  the  Prince  Consort  (1876), 
H,  p.  405. 

In  the  notice  in  the  Illustrated  London  News  it  is 
said  :  ''Our  portrait  of  the  Cornish  fish-wife  has  been 
sketched  from  life  at  her  abode,  Homer  Place,  Crawford 
Street,  Mary-le-bone.  She  was  born  in  the  parish  of 
Paul,  by  Penzance,  on  Christmas  Day,  1766,  so  that 
she  has  nearly  completed  her  eighty-fifth  year.  To 
visit  the  present  Exhibition,  she  walked  the  entire 
distance  from  Penzance,  nearly  three  hundred  miles  ; 
she  having  'registered  a  vow'  before  she  left  home, 
that  she  would  not  accept  assistance  in  any  shape, 
except  as  regarded  her  finances.  She  possesses  her 
faculties  unimpaired  ;  is  very  cheerful,  has  a  consider- 
able amount  of  humour  in  her  composition  ;  and  is 
withal  a  woman  of  strong  common  sense,  and  fre- 
quently makes  remarks  that  are  very  shrewd,  when  her 
great  age  and  defective  education  are  taken  into 
account.  She  is  fully  aware  that  she  has  made  herself 
somewhat  famous  ;  and  among  other  things  which  she 
contemplates,  is  her  return  to  Cornwall,  to  end  her  days 
in  '  Paul  parish,'  where  she  wishes  to  be  interred  by  the 
side  of  old  Dolly  Pentreath,  who  was  also  a  native 
of  Paul,  and  died  at  the  age  of  102  years." 

Mary  Kelynack  died  in  Dock  Lane,  Penzance,  5th 
December,  1855,  and  was  buried  in  S.  Mary's  church- 
yard. 

Messrs.  Routledge  published  the  story  of  her  walk 
to  London  and  back  in  one  of  Aunt  Mayor's  Story- 
books, with  illustrations. 


CAPTAIN    WILLIAM    ROGERS 

CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  ROGERS,  son  of 
Captain  Rogers,  who  died  in  November, 
1 790,  was  born  at  Falmouth,  29th  September, 
1783.  He  married  Susan,  daughter  of  Cap- 
tain John  Harris,  of  S.  Mawes.  In  1807,  Rogers  was 
master,  in  temporary  command  of  the  Windsor  Castle^ 
a  packet-boat  from  Falmouth  to  Barbados.  She 
mounted  six  long  4-pounders  and  two  9-pounder  car- 
ronades,  with  a  complement  of  twenty-eight  men  and 
boys. 

On  October  ist,  1807,  as  the  packet  was  on  her 
passage  to  Barbados  with  the  mails,  a  privateer 
schooner  was  seen  approaching  under  all  sail. 

As  it  seemed  quite  impossible  to  escape.  Captain 
Rogers  resolved  on  making  a  stout  resistance,  though 
the  odds  against  him  were  great.  In  fact,  the  privateer 
mounted  six  long  6-pounders  and  one  long  i8-pounder, 
with  a  complement  of  ninety-two  men. 

At  noon  the  schooner  got  within  gunshot,  hoisted 
French  colours,  and  opened  fire,  which  was  immediately 
returned  from  the  chase-guns  of  the  Windsor  Castle. 
This  was  continued  till  the  privateer,  whose  name 
was  Le  Jeune  Richard^  came  near,  when  she  hailed  the 
packet  in  very  opprobrious  terms,  and  desired  her  to 
strike  her  colours.  On  meeting  with  a  prompt  refusal, 
the  schooner  ran  alongside,  grappled  the  packet,  and 
attempted  to  board.  But  the  crew  of  the  Windsor 
Castle  made  so  stout  a  resistance  with  their  pikes  that 

623 


624  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

the  French  were  obliged  to  abandon  the  attempt  with 
the  loss  of  ten  killed  and  wounded.  The  privateer, 
finding  she  had  a  hard  nut  to  crack,  lost  heart,  and 
sought  to  cut  away  the  grapplings  and  get  clear  ;  but 
the  packet's  mainyard,  being  locked  in  the  schooner's 
rigging,  held  her  fast. 

Captain  Rogers  evinced  great  judgment  and  zeal  in 
ordering  some  of  his  men  to  shift  the  sails  as  circum- 
stances required,  or  to  cut  them  away  in  the  event  of 
the  privateer  succeeding  in  the  conflict. 

At  about  3  p.m.  one  of  the  packet's  guns,  a  i- 
pounder  carronade,  loaded  with  double  grape,  canister 
and  a  hundred  musket  balls,  was  brought  to  bear  on  the 
deck  of  the  privateer,  and  was  discharged  at  the 
moment  when  a  fresh  boarding  party  was  collected  for 
a  second  attempt.  The  result  was  a  frightful  slaughter, 
and  as  the  French  reeled  under  this  discharge,  Captain 
Rogers,  followed  by  the  men  of  his  little  crew,  leaped 
upon  the  deck  of  the  schooner,  and  notwithstanding 
the  apparently  overwhelming  odds  against  him,  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  the  privateer's  men  from  their 
quarters,  and  ultimately  in  capturing  the  vessel. 

Of  the  crew  of  the  Windsor  Castle  three  had  been 
killed  and  two  severely  wounded  ;  but  of  that  of  Le 
Jeune  Richard  there  were  twenty-one  dead  upon  the 
deck,  and  thirty-three  were  wounded. 

From  the  very  superior  number  of  the  privateer's  crew 
still  remaining — thirty-eight  men — whereas  Captain 
Rogers  had  only  fifteen  available,  great  precautions  had 
to  be  taken  in  securing  the  prisoners.  They  were 
accordingly  ordered  up  from  below,  one  by  one,  and 
each  put  in  irons.  Any  attempt  at  a  rescue  being  thus 
effectually  guarded  against,  the  packet  proceeded,  with 
her  prize,  to  the  port  of  her  destination,  which  fortun- 
ately for  the  former  was  not  far  distant. 


CAPTAIN    WILLIAM    ROGERS  625 

This  achievement  reflected  the  highest  honour  upon 
every  officer,  man,  and  boy  that  was  on  board  the 
Windsor  Castle^  but  especially  on  Captain  Rogers.  Had 
he  stayed  to  calculate  the  chances  that  were  against  him, 
the  probability  is  that  the  privateer  would  have 
ultimately  succeeded  in  capturing  the  packet,  whose 
light  carronades  could  have  offered  very  little  resis- 
tance at  the  usual  distance  at  which  vessels  engage  ; 
and  where  any  small  crew,  without  such  a  coup  de 
main — indeed,  without  such  a  leader — could  never  have 
brought  the  combat  to  a  favourable  issue. 

For  his  intrepid  conduct  Rogers  received  the  thanks 
of  H.M.  Postmaster-General ;  promotion  to  the  rank  of 
captain,  with  command  of  another  packet,  100  guineas 
besides  his  share  of  the  prize  (although  no  prize  allow- 
ance was  usual) ;  the  freedom  of  the  City  of  London  ; 
and  an  illuminated  address,  with  a  sword  of  honour, 
from  the  inhabitants  of  Tortola. 

In  London,  a  gentleman  named  Dixon,  unacquainted 
with  Rogers,  sought  and  obtained  his  friendship,  and 
then  commissioned  Samuel  Drummond  to  make  a 
picture  of  the  action,  in  which  the  hero's  full-length 
portrait  should  appear.  Whilst  the  painting  was  in 
progress,  one  day  Rogers  ran  up  against  a  man  in  the 
street  so  closely  resembling  the  officer  he  had  shot, 
that  he  held  him  by  the  button  and  begged  as  a 
favour  that  he  would  allow  a  distinguished  artist  to 
paint  his  portrait.  The  gentleman  was  not  a  little 
surprised,  but  when  Rogers  informed  him  who  he  was 
and  why  he  desired  to  have  him  painted,  he  readily 
consented.  He  was  conducted  to  the  studio,  and  there 
stood  as  portrait-model  for  the  French  swordsman  by 
whom  Rogers  had  been  so  nearly  cut  down.  When 
completed,  the  painting  was  retained  by  Mr.  Dixon, 
but  it  was  engraved  in  mezzotint  by  Ward. 
2  s 


626  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

The  painting  in  course  of  time  passed  to  the  first 
owner's  grandson,  Mr.  James  Dixon,  whose  daughter 
at  his  decease  in  1896  became  possessed  of  it,  and 
presented  it  to  the  nation,  and  it  is  now  in  the  Painted 
Hall  at  Greenwich  Hospital. 

Captain  Rogers  died  at  Holyhead  January  11,  1825. 
His  and  his  wife's  portraits  were  preserved  by  her 
relatives,  and  eventually  given  to  the  only  surviving 
daughter  or  her  descendants. 

In  Johns  and  Nicolas's  Calendar  of  Victory^  1855,  is 
an  account  of  this  sea-fight  ;  also  in  the  European 
Magazine  of  1808,  with  a  portrait  of  the  gallant  captain. 
Also  in  James's  Naval  History  of  Great  Britain 
(1820),  Vol.  IV. 

Rogers's  own  account,  condensed,  is  to  be  found  in  a 
paper  by  Rev.  W.  Jago,  "The  Heroes  of  the  Old 
Falmouth  Packet  Service,"  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Institution  of  Corn-wall^  XIII,  1895-8. 


I 


JOHN  BURTON,  OF  FALMOUTH 

JOSEPH    BURTON,    of  Stockport,    Lancashire, 
came,  for  what  reason  is  unknown,  to  Cornwall 
in   1830,  and  set  up   a  china  and  glass   shop  at 
Bodmin ;    and   married   at    Launceston   a   Miss 
Clemo. 

Old  Joseph  was  a  sturdy  Radical  and  Nonconformist. 
He  was  a  vigorous  and  loud  supporter  of  the  Ballot 
Society,  the  Liberation  Society,and  the  United  Kingdom 
Alliance.  He  was  also  a  vehement  and  "  intemperate  " 
teetotaler.  He  died  at  Bodmin  19th  July,  1876.  John 
was  one  of  a  whole  string  of  children,  and  as  the 
*'  cloam  "  shop  did  not  bring  in  a  large  profit,  and  John 
was  one  among  many,  he  had  to  go  into  life  very 
inefficiently  equipped  with  education.  But  he  had  in- 
herited from  his  father  a  masterful  spirit,  and  had  his 
own  independent  views,  and  it  was  soon  a  case  between 
them  of  flint  and  steel,  and  sparks  flew  out. 

John  and  his  brother  Joe  were  sent  round  the  country 
hawking  pots  and  glass. 

"  I  well  remember  the  24th  December,  1853,"  said 
John  Burton.  ''  Myself  and  brother  Joe  (who  afterwards 
became  a  well-known  auctioneer)  rose  at  five  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  fed  the  horse,  and  made  a  start  at  5.45  a.m. 
with  a  wagon-load  of  goods.  The  morning  was  dark, 
and  when  we  came  to  Callywith  turnpike  gate  it  was 
closed.  We  knocked  Henry  Mark,  the  toll-keeper,  up 
to  let  us  through.  He  looked  out  of  the  window  and  at 
first  refused  to  let  us  pass  until  daylight.    We  firmly  told 

627 


628  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

him  that  we  would  certainly  unhang  the  gate  and  pass 
through  without  paying  the  toll.  This  fetched  the  old 
man  down,  with  his  long  coat,  knitted  night-cap,  with 
horn  lantern  in  his  hand.  He  opened  the  gate  and  told 
us,  *  You  Burtons  ought  to  be  poisoned  for  breaking  a 
man's  rest.'  A  lot  we  cared  for  his  curses.  Fairly  on 
the  road,  we  were  as  happy  as  sandboys.  Having 
delivered  the  goods,  and  fairly  on  the  way  home,  we 
stopped  at  the  Jamaica  Inn,  where  the  old  mail-coaches 
used  to  change  their  horses,  to  feed  our  horse,  not 
forgetting  ourselves.  After  giving  old  Dapper  his  feed 
of  oats,  we  went  into  the  inn  kitchen,  where  we  ordered 
a  hot  meal.  The  landlady  asked,  '  What  would  you 
like?  '  She  suggested  a  hot  squab  pie,  which  she  took 
out  of  a  huge  kitchen  range  well  loaded  with  burning 
turf,  the  odour  of  which  increased  our  appetite  consider- 
ably. We  polished  off  the  pie  and  pocketed  the  crust 
to  eat  on  the  moors  when  homeward  bound." 

The  Jamaica  Inn  is  in  the  midst  of  the  Bodmin  Moors. 
In  the  time  of  the  mail-coaches  from  London  by  Exeter 
to  Falmouth  it  was  a  house  of  great  repute.  But  when 
the  trains  ran,  and  coaches  were  given  up,  it  fell  from 
its  high  estate,  was  converted  into  a  temperance  house, 
was  far  from  clean,  harboured  innumerable  fleas,  and 
did  little  business.  Of  late  it  has  entirely  recovered 
its  credit.  It  stands  nine  hundred  feet  above  the  sea. 
There  are  now  there  at  Bolventor  a  church  and  a  school. 
A  bleak,  wind-swept  moor  all  about  it.  Dozmare  Pool, 
haunted  by  Tregeagle,  is  near  by — and  in  June  the 
meadows  around  are  a  sheet  of  gold  from  the  butter- 
cups.    But  to  return  to  John  Burton's  reminiscences. 

"  When  the  landlady  came  in  and  saw  that  we  had 
finished  the  pie,  she  looked  with  amazement  towards  us. 

<<  '  Why,  drat  you  boys,  whativer  have  'ee  done  with 
the  pie?' 


Jl 


JOHN    BURTON"    OF    FALMOl' 1  H 


JOHN    BURTON,   OF   FALMOUTH        629 

"'Why,  ate'n,  missus.  Do'y  think  us  called  the 
horse  in  to  help  us,  or  what?' 

'*  *No,'  she  smartly  replied,  '  I  should  'a  thawt  you 
had  the  Bodmunt  Murlicha  (Militia)  here  to  help  'ee 
out.     I  never  seed  such  gluttons  in  my  life.' 

''When  we  asked  what  we  had  got  to  pay,  she  said, 
'  Sixpunce  for  the  crist,  threepunce  for  the  suitt,  nine- 
punce  for  the  gibblets,  and  eightpunce  for  apples, 
onions,  spice,  currants  and  sugar,  and  fourpunce  for 
baking  'un  ;  two  dishes  of  tay,  tuppunce  ;  that'll  be  two 
and  eightpunce  altogether,  boys.' 

"  '  All  right,  missus,  here's  the  posh.' 

"She  asked  us  out  of  bravado  if  we  could  eat  any 
more.  We  said,  '  Yes,  we  could  do  with  some  Christ- 
mas cake.' 

"She  politely  told  us  that  she  shouldn't  cut  the 
Christmas  cake  until  the  next  day.  '  But  you  can  have 
some  zeedy  biscays,  if  you  like.' 

"  'All  right.'  And  in  she  brought  them,  which  we 
also  polished  off.  Afterwards  she  demanded  fourpence 
for  them. 

"'All  right,  missus,  the  fourpunce  charged  for 
baking  the  pie  will  pay  for  the  biscuits,  so  us'll  cry 
quits,'  which  joke  the  old  woman  swallowed  with  a 
good  laugh." 

John  Burton  proceeds  to  describe  the  Christmas 
merry-making  at  the  inn  that  night.  Jamaica  Inn  had 
not  then  become  a  temperance  hotel.  The  moormen 
and  farmers  came  in,  the  great  fire  glowed  like  a 
furnace.  The  wind  sobbed  without,  and  piped  in  at 
the  casement — "  the  souls  on  the  wind,"  as  it  was  said, 
the  spirits  of  unbaptized  babes  wailing  at  the  window- 
pane,  seeing  the  fire  within,  and  condemned  to  wander 
on  the  cold  blast  without. 

To  the  red  fire,  and  to  the  plentiful  libations,  songs 


630  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

were  sung,  among  others  that  very  favourite  ballad  of 
the  **  Highwayman  " — 

I  went  to  London  both  blythe  and  gay, 
My  time  I  squandered  in  dice  and  play, 
Until  my  funds  they  fell  full  low, 
And  on  the  highway  I  was  forced  to  go. 

Then  after  an  account  of  how  he  robbed  Lord  Mans- 
field and  Lady  Golding,  of  Portman  Square — 

I  shut  the  door,  bade  all  good  night, 
And  rambled  to  my  heart's  delight. 

After  a  career  of  riot  and  robbery,  the  Highwayman 
at  length  falls  into  the  toils  of  Sir  John  Fielding,  who 
was  the  first  magistrate  to  take  sharp  and  decisive 
measures  against  these  pests  of  society.  Then  the 
ballad  ends  : — 

When  I  am  dead,  borne  to  my  grave, 

A  gallant  funeral  may  I  have  ; 

Six  highwaymen  to  carry  me, 

With  good  broadswords  and  sweet  liberty. 

Six  blooming  maidens  to  bear  my  pall ; 
Give  them  white  gloves  and  pink  ribbons  all ; 
And  when  I'm  dead  they'll  say  the  truth, 
I  was  a  wild  and  a  wicked  youth. 

One  of  the  local  characters  who  was  present  on  that 
Christmas  Eve  was  Billy  Peppermint.  As  he  was  over- 
come with  drink,  the  young  Burtons  conveyed  him 
from  the  Jamaica  Inn  about  ten  miles,  and  then  turned 
him  out  of  their  conveyance,  and  propped  him  up 
against  the  railings  of  a  house  in  Bodmin,  as  he  was 
quite  unable  to  sustain  himself. 

That  night  the  carol  singers  were  making  their 
round,  and  as  they  came  near  they  piped  forth : 
''When  shepherds  watched  their  flocks  by  night,  all 
seated  on  the  ground,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared, 
and " 


JOHN   BURTON,   OF   FALMOUTH        631 
Whereon  Billy  roared  forth — 

When  I  am  dead  they'll  say  the  truth, 
I  was  a  wild  and  a  wicked  youths 

and  rolled  over  and  fell  prostrate  on  the  ground. 

In  1857  ^^  event  occurred  which  altered  the  direction 
of  John  Burton's  activities. 

He  had  been  sent  along  with  one  of  his  father's 
hawkers  named  Paul  Mewton  with  a  crate  of  china  on 
his  head  to  S.  Columb.  On  their  way  they  called 
at  Forth,  and  there  Paul  complained  that  he  was  not 
well,  whereupon  a  Mr.  Stephens,  with  whom  they  were 
doing  business,  produced  a  case  of  spirits  and  gave 
first  Paul  and  then  John  Burton  each  a  glass  of  very 
strong  grog.  Paul  could  stand  it,  but  not  so  John, 
and  as  he  was  carrying  his  basket  of  **cloam  "  over  a 
stile  he  lost  his  balance,  and  away  went  the  crate  and 
all  its  contents,  which  were  shivered  to  atoms. 

This  was  too  much  for  Mr.  Joseph  Burton,  a  rigid 
teetotaler,  and  he  had  words  with  his  son  on  the  im- 
morality of  touching  fermented  liquor,  and  above  all 
on  the  consequences  of  a  loss  of  many  shillings'  worth 
of  china. 

The  stile  is  still  to  be  seen.  On  one  side  is  inscribed, 
"  Burton's  Stile,  1857  "  >  on  the  other  is  a  carving  of  a 
gin-bottle,  a  water-jug,  and  a  glass,  with  the  legend 
beneath,  ''The  Fall  of  Man." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  altercations 
between  John  and  his  father,  which  led  at  last  to  John 
abandoning  his  parent,  and  in  1862  he  set  up  in  Fal- 
mouth on  his  own  account  with  thirty  shillings  in  his 
pocket.  As  Burton  was  wont  to  say  of  the  world  into 
which  he  had  entered  on  his  own  account — 

'Tis  a  very  good  world  for  to  live  in, 

To  lend,  or  to  spend,  or  to  give  in  ; 

But  to  beg  or  to  borrow,  or  get  a  man's  own, 

'Tis  the  very  worst  world  that  ever  was  known. 


632  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

For  some  time  he  earned  a  living  by  hawking 
crockery  about  in  Fahnouth.  Then,  some  sailors 
coming  into  the  harbour  brought  with  them  some 
alligators.  Burton  spent  his  money  on  buying  them, 
and  then  started  out  in  quest  of  various  herbalists,  and 
disposed  of  the  reptiles  to  them.  A  stuffed  alligator 
hanging  up  in  a  shop  was  an  object  imposing  on  the 
imagination  of  patients. 

In  1865  a  number  of  Roman  coins  were  found  at 
Pennance  Farm,  in  S.  Budock,  and  Burton  bought 
these,  and  then  became  an  antiquary.  At  this  time 
numerous  vessels  put  in  at  Falmouth,  and  the  sailors 
had  brought  with  them  parrots,  apes,  and  all  sorts  of 
curiosities  from  foreign  parts,  and  were  prepared  to  sell 
them  for  very  small  sums.  Burton  bought  as  far  as  his 
profits  would  allow,  and  thus  he  became  a  curiosity 
dealer.  He  secured  business  premises  in  Market 
Street,  and  began  to  store  them  with  odds  and  ends  of 
every  description.  He  rambled  about  in  Cornwall, 
and  his  keen  eye  detected  at  once  a  bit  of  old  china,  a 
scrap  of  carved  oak,  an  odd  signboard,  a  piece  of 
Chippendale  furniture,  a  framed  sampler,  and  he 
bought  everywhere,  and  stocked  his  premises.  As  his 
business  grew  he  advertised  extensively,  and  gradually 
but  surely  built  up  an  extensive  business.  In  curiosities 
he  became  a  very  Whiteley.  Any  one  who  desired  any- 
thing peculiar  could  apply  to  John  Burton,  and  John 
Burton  would  supply  it,  if  not  a  genuine  antique,  yet 
"made  to  order,"  and  indistinguishable  from  an 
antique.  When  there  began  to  be  a  run  on  Bristol 
lustre  ware,  he  was  ready  with  a  stock,  which  went  off 
rapidly.  He  bought  old  muskets  by  the  thousand, 
and  sent  them  abroad  to  arm  savage  nations  in  Africa 
and  Asia. 

One   day   a  Scotchman   entered  his  shop   and  said 


JOHN   BURTON,   OF   FALMOUTH        633 

to  Burton,  "  I  am  looking  out  for  a  man  who  can  sell 
me  three  sixpences  for  a  shilling." 

''Then  I  am  the  man  for  you,"  said  Burton,  and 
produced  three  defective  sixpences. 

''  I'll  have  another  shilling's  worth,"  said  the  Scotch- 
man. 

''  Ah  !  then  I  cannot  accommodate  you  ;  but  I  can  do 
better — give  you  a  bad  shilling  for  a  good  one." 

On  one  occasion  the  curator  of  the  Edinburgh 
Museum  wrote  down  to  him  for  the  eleventh  vertebra  of 
the  skeleton  of  a  whale  that  he  had,  but  which  was 
wanting.  By  return  of  post  Burton  sent  him  up  what 
he  needed. 

He  had  a  marvellous  memory — remembering  all  the 
multifarious  items  in  his  shop,  though  they  were  con- 
tinually changing. 

When  the  new  Eddystone  Lighthouse  was  erected,  he 
wrote  to  Trinity  House  and  offered  ^^500  for  Smeaton's 
lighthouse  that  had  been  taken  down.  This  roused  a 
storm  of  indignation  in  Plymouth,  and  ended  in  that 
town  securing  it  for  ^1600,  to  be  erected  on  the  Hoe. 

The  town  of  Penryn  possessed  its  old  stocks,  bear- 
ing date  1673.  These  he  bought  for  £2^  and  sold 
them  to  a  Devizes  antiquary  for  a  large  sum.  Then  he 
purchased  a  haunted  house — Trevethan  Hall,  in  Fal- 
mouth— but  as  the  ghost  could  not  be  turned  into 
money,  he  pulled  the  house  down  and  built  on  its  site 
Mount  Edgcumbe  Terrace. 

During  many  years  a  stream  of  tourists,  walking, 
bicycling,  motoring,  has  circulated  round  Cornwall, 
starting  from  Bideford,  careering  to  the  Land's  End, 
and  returning  by  the  south  coast  to  Plymouth,  and 
hardly  a  tourist  thought  of  visiting  Falmouth  without 
going  to  Burton's  Curiosity  Shop  and  making  a  pur- 
chase there.     Indeed,  he  and  his  shop  were  some  of  the 


634  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

sights  of  Cornwall.  He  had  by  nature  great  ready  wit, 
and  a  bluntness  of  manner  which  he  cultivated,  and 
which  gave  poignancy  to  dealings  with  him.  But  his 
bluntness,  which  was  part  of  the  stock-in-trade,  was 
not  infrequently  carried  too  far,  and  became  imperti- 
nence. He  had  a  real  love  for  his  genuine  curios,  and 
parted  with  them  reluctantly ;  and  this  he  allowed  to 
be  seen.  In  this  he  was  wholly  unlike  the  ordinary 
dealer  who  presses  his  wares  on  the  hesitating  pur- 
chaser. When  the  present  King,  then  Prince  of 
Wales,  visited  Falmouth  in  1887,  the  Prince  having  a 
cold  sent  Mr.  Cavendish  Bentinck  to  the  Curiosity 
Shop  to  request  that  Mr.  Burton  would  send  a  collection 
of  what  was  most  interesting  in  his  shop  for  the 
Prince's  inspection.  Upon  this  he  addressed  the 
following  letter  to  the  Prince  : — 

''  Respected  Albert  Edward. — I  much  regret  to 
find  you  are  indisposed.  If  I  were  to  fetch  to  Kerrisvean 
a  Pickford's  wagon-load  of  samples  it  would  be  utterly 
impossible  to  convey  the  remotest  idea  of  my  ponder- 
ous conglomeration  of  curios  ;  but  if  I  could  prevail 
upon  Your  Royal  Highness  to  go  through  my  shanty,  I 
would  give  you  local  wit  and  humour  which  would 
throw  you  into  a  state  of  laughter,  and  there  is  every 
probability  it  would  counteract  your  cold. — Yours  until 

we  meet  in  the  next  hotel, 

"John  Burton." 

This,  which  he  doubtless  thought  very  smart,  was 
mere  insolence.  In  fact,  he  had  not  a  large  store  of 
''local  wit  and  humour,"  and  mistook  rudeness  for  fun. 
But  he  was  often  encouraged  in  this.  A  lady  once 
entered  his  shop  and  said,  "  You've  a  rum  lot  of  stuff 
here,  old  boy ;  how  much  do  you  ask  for  that  pair  of 
vases?" 


JOHN    BURTON,   OF   FALMOUTH        635 

'*  Six  guineas." 

*'  I'll  give  you  five,  old  fellow." 

"Then,  old  girl,  they  are  yours.  Where  shall  I  send 
them,  and  to  whom?" 

'*  To  the  Duchess  of ." 

'*Oh  !  I  beg  Your  Grace's  pardon  ;  I  have  been  too 
familiar." 

"  Not  at  all.     You  treated  me  as  I  have  treated  you." 

John  Burton  was  an  abstemious  man,  and  believed 
that  by  moderate  diet  and  moderation  in  drinking  he 
would — and  any  man  would — live  to  the  age  of  a 
hundred.  He  had  framed  for  himself  a  code  of  rules 
to  ensure  a  long  life. 

1.  Eight  hours'  sleep  and  that  on  your  right  side, 
and  sleep  with  the  bedroom  window  open.  Fresh  air 
is  essential. 

2.  Do  not  have  your  bedstead  against  the  wall,  so 
that  the  air  may  circulate  about  you  freely. 

3.  Take  a  glass  of  hot  water  on  rising,  and  a  bath 
at  blood  temperature,  and  take  exercise  before  break- 
fast. 

4.  Eat  little  meat  and  see  that  it  be  well  cooked,  and 
be  careful  to  eat  plenty  of  fat. 

5.  Take  plenty  of  daily  exercise  in  the  open  air. 

6.  Have  no  pet  animals  in  your  living-room. 

7.  Avoid  tea — the  tannin  turns  meat  to  leather  and 
spoils  digestion,  but  take  little  or  no  intoxicant. 

8.  Keep  guard  against  man's  three  enemies,  the 
three  D's — Damp,  Drains,  and  impure  Drinking  water. 

9.  Change  of  occupation,  and  frequent,  if  short, 
holidays. 

10.  Eat  plenty  of  fruit  and  vegetables. 

11.  Keep  your  temper,  and  keep  a  cheery  mind. 

12.  Limit  your  ambition  to  what  you  can  do. 

But,  notwithstanding  these  rules,  John   Burton  did 


636  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

not  live  to  a  great  age.  He  died  of  a  painful  internal 
disease  on  May  28th,  1907.  He  had  eight  children  by 
his  wife.  One  son,  John,  has  a  large  earthenware 
establishment  in  Falmouth  ;  another — the  image  of  his 
father  in  face — carries  on  the  "  Old  Curiosity  Shop." 


THE    FATE   OF    SIR    CLOUDESLEY 
SHOVEL 

THE  life  of  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel,  Knt.  and 
Admiral,  must  be  given  in  few  words,  as  his 
association  with  Cornwall  was  in  his  death 
and  not  in  his  birth  and  life. 
He  was  born  about  the  year  1650,  of  parents  in 
Norfolk  in  a  humble  condition  of  life,  and  he  was  made 
a  cobbler's  apprentice,  but,  disliking  this  profession, 
ran  away  to  sea.  He  was  at  first  a  cabin-boy  with 
Sir  Christopher  Mynns ;  but,  applying  himself  to  the 
study  of  navigation  with  indefatigable  industry,  his 
skill  as  a  seaman  soon  raised  him  above  that  station. 
The  corsairs  of  Tripoli  had  for  long  committed  great 
depredations  on  the  English  in  the  Mediterranean, 
plundering  and  capturing  merchant  vessels  and 
carrying  off  the  crews  into  slavery.  Sir  John  Nar- 
borough  was  sent  in  1674  to  reduce  them  to  reason. 
As  he  had  received  orders  to  try  the  effects  of  negotiation 
before  he  proceeded  to  hostilities,  he  sent  Mr.  Shovel, 
who  was  at  that  time  a  lieutenant  in  his  fleet,  to 
demand  satisfaction.  The  Dey  treated  him  with  dis- 
respect, and  sent  him  back  without  an  answer.  Sir 
John  despatched  him  a  second  time,  with  orders  to 
observe  the  position  of  the  piratical  fleet  in  the 
harbour.  The  behaviour  of  the  Dey  was  as  insolent 
as  possible.  Upon  Mr.  Shovel's  return  he  informed 
Sir  John  that  it  would  be  possible,  notwithstanding  the 

637 


638  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

batteries  commanding  the  harbour,  to  cut  out  or  burn 
the  ships  therein,  and  he  volunteered  to  command  an 
expedition  in  boats  for  the  purpose.  His  offer  was 
accepted,  and  he  managed  to  burn  in  the  harbour, 
under  the  castle  and  walls  of  Tripoli,  the  guard-ship  and 
four  men-of-war  belonging  to  the  pirates  of  that  place, 
and  to  force  the  Dey  to  accept  such  conditions  of  peace 
as  Sir  John  Narborough  was  pleased  to  impose  on  him. 

Sir  John  Narborough  gave  so  favourable  an  account 
of  this  exploit,  that  Shovel  was  soon  after  made  captain 
of  the  Sapphire^  a  fifth-rate  ship. 

In  the  skirmish  of  Bantry  Bay,  1689,  he  was  en- 
gaged, and  won  such  scanty  laurels  as  the  unworthy 
Admiral  Herbert  allowed  his  fleet  to  deserve.  James  II 
had  his  Court  in  Dublin.  A  French  fleet,  commanded 
by  the  Count  de  Chateau-Renaud,  had  anchored  in 
Bantry  Bay,  and  had  put  on  shore  a  large  quantity  of 
military  stores  and  money.  Herbert,  who  had  been 
sent  to  those  seas  with  an  English  squadron  for  the 
express  purpose  of  intercepting  the  communications 
between  France  and  Ireland,  sailed  into  the  bay  with 
purpose  of  giving  battle.  But  the  wind  was  unfavour- 
able, and  Herbert  was  without  dash  and  energy,  and  was 
a  traitor  at  heart.  After  some  trifling  discharge  of 
gunpowder,  which  caused  no  serious  loss  of  life  on 
either  side,  he  deemed  it  prudent  to  stand  out  to  sea, 
and  allow  the  French  fleet  to  retire  unmolested. 

But  according  to  Herbert's  report,  a  great  victory 
had  been  gained  by  him,  and  the  House  of  Commons, 
believing  what  he  stated,  absurdly  passed  a  vote  of 
thanks  to  him.  We  may  well  conceive  the  rage  of 
heart  and  scorn  of  his  admiral  that  consumed  Shovel 
at  the  feeble  attack  and  cowardly  retreat.  At  the  time 
he  was  commander  of  the  Edgar,  and  was  soon  after 
knighted  by  King  William. 


SIR    CLOUDESI.KY    SHOVKI.I, 


FATE  OF  SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL    639 

Next  year  he  was  employed  in  transporting  an  army 
into  Ireland,  a  service  which  he  performed  with  such 
diligence  and  dexterity  that  the  King  raised  him  to 
the  rank  of  Rear-Admiral  of  the  Blue,  and  delivered 
to  him  his  commission  with  his  own  hands.  Soon 
after  he  was  made  Rear-Admiral  of  the  Red,  and 
shared  in  the  glory  of  the  victory  of  La  Hogue.  In 
1694  he  bombarded  Dunkirk. 

In  1702  he  was  sent  with  a  squadron  of  about  twenty 
men-of-war  to  join  the  Grand  Fleet,  and  bring  home 
the  galleons  and  other  rich  boats  taken  by  the  Duke  of 
Ormond  and  Sir  George  Rooke  at  Vigo. 

The  next  year  he  was  promoted  to  a  higher  post, 
being  appointed  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Con- 
federate Fleet  in  the  Mediterranean,  consisting  of  thirty- 
five  English  and  fourteen  Dutch  men-of-war.  On 
entering  the  Leghorn  roads,  the  Governor  refused  to 
accord  a  royal  salute.  Sir  Cloudesley  peremptorily 
ordered  the  salute  to  be  given,  or  to  expect  all  the 
guns  of  the  fleet  to  ask  the  question  why  it  had  not 
been  at  once  accorded.  The  threat  sufficed.  In  this 
expedition  Sir  Cloudesley  sent  two  men-of-war  to  en- 
deavour to  supply  the  Camisards  of  the  Cevennes  with 
money,  arms,  and  ammunition,  but  failed  to  obtain 
communication  with  them. 

Soon  after  the  battle  off  Malaga  he  was  presented 
by  Prince  George  of  Denmark  to  Queen  Anne  ;  she 
received  him  graciously,  and  the  next  year  employed 
him  as  Commander-in-Chief. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1704,  he  had  his  share  in  the 
honour  of  taking  Gibraltar ;  and  by  his  admirable 
conduct,  bravery,  and  success  in  the  sea-fight  that 
happened  soon  after,  between  the  Confederate  and 
French  fleets,  obliged  the  enemy's  van  to  bear  away 
out   of  the  reach    of   his   cannon,    and   the   Count   of 


640  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Toulouse  to  follow  the  example  of  his  van,  and  escape 
out  of  danger.  Although  in  this  action  Sir  Cloudesley 
was  second  in  command,  yet  he  won  the  principal 
credit  for  its  success,  and  some  months  after  was  ap- 
pointed Rear-Admiral  of  England. 

In  1705  he  commanded  the  fleet,  together  with  the 
Earl  of  Portsmouth,  which  was  sent  into  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  it  was  mainly  owing  to  him  that  Barcelona 
was  taken. 

After  an  unsuccessful  attempt  upon  Toulon  he  sailed 
for  Gibraltar,  and  from  thence  on  Michaelmas  Day 
homeward  with  a  part  of  his  fleet,  consisting  of  fifteen 
men-of-war,  five  of  a  lesser  rank,  and  one  yacht.  He 
was  on  the  Association^  Sir  George  Byng  was  com- 
mander on  the  Royal  Arms,  Lord  Dursley  on  the 
►S".  George. 

On  the  22nd  of  October  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel  being 
enveloped  in  fog,  and  taking  soundings  in  ninety 
fathoms,  he  brought  to  and  lay  by  from  noon  till  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  when,  as  the  wind  freshened 
and  blew  from  the  S.S.W.,  he  made  signal  for  sailing. 
The  fleet  steered  E.  by  N.  and  supposing  that  they  had 
the  Channel  open  some  of  the  ships  ran  upon  the  rocks 
of  Scilly,  before  they  were  aware,  about  eight  o'clock 
at  night,  and  at  once  made  signals  of  distress.  The 
Association,  in  which  was  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel,  struck 
upon  the  rocks  near  the  Bishop  and  his  Clerks,  and 
went  down  with  all  hands  on  board. 

The  same  fate  befell  the  Eagle  and  the  Romney.  The 
Firebrand  was  likewise  dashed  upon  the  rocks  and 
foundered  ;  but  the  captain  and  four-and-twenty  of  his 
men  saved  themselves  in  a  boat.  And  Captain  Sansom, 
who  commanded  the  Phoenix,  being  driven  towards  the 
shore,  was  forced  to  abandon  his  ship  to  save  his  men. 
The  Royal  Arms  was  saved  by  great  presence  of  mind 


FATE  OF  SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL     641 

in  both  Sir  George  Byng  and  his  officers  and  men,  who 
in  a  minute,  on  perceiving  the  rocks  not  a  ship's  length 
to  leeward,  as  well  as  those  on  which  Sir  Cloudesley 
Shovel  was  lost,  set  her  topsails  and  sheered  off.  Nor 
had  Lord  Dursley,  commanding  the  S.  George,  a  less 
fortunate  escape  ;  for  his  ship  was  dashed  upon  the 
same  reef  as  that  on  which  the  Association  had  been 
wrecked  ;  but  the  same  wave  that  beat  out  the  lights  of 
Sir  Cloudesley's  vessel  lifted  the  S.  George  and  floated 
it  away. 

A  story  has  remained  deeply  engraved  in  the 
minds  of  the  men  of  Scilly  to  the  present  day.  It 
is  to  this  effect : — 

On  the  22nd  October,  that  same  fatal  day,  a  sailor,  a 
native  of  Scilly,  ventured  to  approach  the  admiral  and 
tell  him  that  he  was  steering  too  far  to  the  northward, 
and  that  unless  the  course  of  the  fleet  was  changed 
they  could  not  fail  to  run  her  upon  the  rocks.  For  this 
act  of  insubordination  Sir  Cloudesley  ordered  the  pre- 
sumptuous adviser  to  be  hanged  at  the  yard-arm  of  his 
ship,  the  Association ;  and  the  only  favour  granted 
him,  in  mitigation  of  his  punishment,  was  a  compliance 
with  the  poor  fellow's  request  that,  before  execution  of 
the  sentence,  he  should  be  allowed  to  read  a  portion  of 
Scripture.  The  prayer  granted,  he  read  the  109th 
Psalm  in  which  occur  the  imprecations:  ''Let  his 
days  be  few ;  and  let  another  take  his  office.  Let 
his  children  be  fatherless,  and  his  wife  a  widow. 
.  .  .  Let  his  posterity  be  destroyed,  and  in  the  next 
generation  let  his  name  be  clean  put  out.  Because  his 
mind  was  not  to  do  good,  but  persecuted  the  poor, 
helpless  man,  that  he  might  slay  him  that  was  vexed  at 
the  heart." 

The    report   of  this   atrocious  act   could    have   been 
communicated  by  only  one  man  who  was  said  to  have 
2  T 


642  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

escaped  alive  out  of  the  crew  of  the  Association.  Now 
happily  we  know  that  no  man  was  saved  out  of  that 
vessel.  The  one  man  who  was  saved  was  George 
Laurence,  quartermaster  of  the  Romney^  a  North- 
countryman  from  near  Hull,  and  a  butcher  by  trade. 
Of  him  we  learn  something  from  the  account  of  Mr. 
Edmund  Herbert,  Deputy  Paymaster-General  of  the 
Marine  Regiments,  who  was  in  Scilly  in  1709,  sent 
there  with  the  object  of  trying  to  recover  some  of  the 
property  lost  in  the  wreck,  which  had  taken  place  two 
years  before. 

This  fellow,  says  Herbert,  was  *'a  lusty  fat  man, 
but  much  battered  with  the  rocks.  Most  of  the  cap- 
tains, lieutenants,  doctors,  etc.,  of  the  squadron  came 
on  shore  and  asked  him  many  questions  in  relation  to 
the  wreck,  but  not  one  man  took  pity  on  him,  either  to 
dress  or  order  to  be  dressed  his  bruises,  etc.,  whereof 
he  had  perished  had  not  Mr.  Ekins,  a  gentleman  of  the 
island,  charitably  taken  him  in  ;  and  a  doctor  of  a 
merchant  ship  then  in  the  road  under  convoy  of  South- 
ampton searched  his  wounds  and  applied  proper 
remedies." 

Now  it  is  obvious  that  this  man  could  say  nothing 
relative  to  what  had  happened  on  the  Association.  But 
we  arrive  at  the  origin  of  the  story  from  what  Herbert 
relates,  and  he  alone.  He  says:  "About  one  or  two 
after  noon  on  the  23rd  (22nd)  October  Sir  Cloudesley 
called  a  council  and  examined  the  masters  what  lati- 
tude they  were  in  ;  all  agreed  to  be  in  that  of  Ushant, 
on  the  coast  of  France,  except  Sir  W.  Jumper's  master 
of  the  Lenox,  who  believed  them  to  be  nearer  Scilly, 
and  that  in  three  hours  (they)  should  be  up  in  sight 
thereof.  But  Sir  Cloudesley  listened  not  to  a  single 
person  whose  opinion  was  contrary  to  the  whole  fleet. 
(They  then  altered  their  opinion  and  thought  them- 


FATE  OF  SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL     643 

selves  on  the  coast  of  France,  but  a  lad  on  board  the 

said  the  light  they  made  was  Scilly  light,  though 

all  the  ship's  crew  swore  at  and  gave  him  ill  language 
for  it ;  howbeit  he  continued  in  his  assertion,  and  that 
which  they  made  (to  be)  a  sail  and  a  ship's  lanthorn 
proved  to  be  a  rock  and  the  light  afore  mentioned, 
which  rock  the  lad  called  the  Great  Smith,  of  the  truth 
of  which  at  daybreak  they  were  all  convinced.)" 

This  is  the  small  egg  out  of  which  so  large  a  fable 
has  hatched  forth.  The  boy  was  probably  drowned,  and 
his  parents  or  relations  on  Scilly,  angry  that  his  advice 
had  not  been  taken  and  so  the  wreck  avoided,  felt 
resentment  against  Sir  Cloudesley  on  this  account,  and 
little  by  little  magnified  the  incident,  and  transmuted  it 
from  an  error  of  judgment  into  a  crime. 

Beside  Sir  Cloudesley  on  board  the  Association  were 
Lady  Shovell's  two  sons  by  her  first  husband,  Admiral 
Sir  John  Narborough.  These  were  Sir  John  Nar- 
borough,  Bart.,  and  his  brother  James ;  Edmund 
Loader,  the  captain  ;  also  a  nephew,  the  son  of  her  first 
husband's  sister  ;  Henry  Trelawny,  second  son  of  the 
Bishop  of  Winchester  ;  and  several  other  young  gentle- 
men of  good  family. 

After  that  Sir  Cloudesley  had  adopted  the  prevailing 
opinion  that  the  squadron  was  off  Ushant;  he  detached 
the  Lenox,  La  Valeiir,  and  the  Phoenix  for  Falmouth, 
with  orders  to  take  under  convoy  the  merchant  vessels 
waiting  there  bound  eastward.  These  ships,  following 
a  north-easterly  course,  as  had  been  determined  on, 
soon  found  themselves  among  the  myriad  rocks  and 
islets  that  lie  to  the  south-west  of  the  Scilly  group, 
where  the  Phoenix  sustained  so  much  damage  that  her 
captain  and  crew  only  saved  the  ship  and  themselves 
by  running  her  ashore  on  the  sands  between  Tresco 
and  S.   Martin's  Islands.     The  Lenox  and  La   Valeur 


644  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

were  fortunately  able  to  beat  through  to  Broad  Sound, 
an  anchorage  to  the  west  of  the  principal  islands,  where 
they  remained  till  break  of  day  on  the  ensuing  morning. 
Then  they  discovered  where  they  were,  and  sailed  for 
Falmouth,  in  the  direction  in  which  they  now  knew  that 
it  lay,  and  arrived  there  on  the  25th,  bringing  news  of 
the  wreck  of  the  Phoenix^  but  knowing  nothing  of  the 
mishap  to  the  vessels  of  the  squadron  from  which  they 
had  been  detached. 

J.  Addison,  in  a  letter  dated  October  31st,  1707, 
wrote  :  ''Yesterday  we  had  the  news  that  the  body  of 
Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel  was  found  on  the  coast  of  Corn- 
wall. The  fishermen,  who  were  searching  among  the 
rocks,  took  a  tin-box  out  of  the  pocket  of  one  of  the 
carcasses  that  was  floating,  and  found  in  it  the  commis- 
sion of  an  Admiral,  upon  which,  examining  the  body 
more  closely,  they  found  it  was  poor  Sir  Cloudesley. 
You  may  guess  the  conditions  of  his  unhappy  wife, 
who  lost,  in  the  same  ship  with  her  husband,  her  two 
only  sons  by  Sir  John  Narborough." 

In  an  article  on  Sir  Cloudesley  by  Mr.  S.  R.  Patti- 
son,  in  t\\t  Journal  of  the  R.  Inst,  of  Corn-mall^  October, 
1864,  he  says:  ''On  a  recent  visit  to  the  site  of  Sir 
Cloudesley's  first  burial  place,  on  the  inner  shore  of 
Porthellic  Cove,  we  were  informed  by  our  guides — 
fishermen  and  pilots — that  the  body  of  the  unfortunate 
Admiral  when  washed  ashore  was  on  a  grating,  on 
which  was  also  the  dead  body  of  his  faithful  Newfound- 
land dog.  They  are  said  to  have  been  found,  early  in 
the  morning  after  the  wreck,  by  a  woman  named 
Thomas,  then  living  at  Sallakey  farm — a  short  distance 
from  the  Cove.  Mrs.  Thomas  immediately  gave  in- 
formation and  procured  assistance  from  Sallakey,  and 
the  body  of  the  unfortunate  hero  was  buried  at  the 
inmost  part   of   the    Cove,    near   the  junction    of   the 


J 


FATE  OF  SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL     645 

shingle  and  the  herbage,  but  within  and  at  right  angles 
with  the  latter.  And  here  it  remains,  conspicuous  from 
no  inconsiderable  distance,  without  a  particle  of  verdure 
to  obscure  the  brilliancy  of  the  white  shingle  which  occu- 
pies its  space,  in  marked  contrast  with  the  dense  herbage 
by  which  it  is  surrounded  on  three  of  its  sides.  Our 
guides  asserted  that  this  strange  appearance  of  the  grave 
is  due  to  an  imprecation  uttered  upon  Sir  Cloudesley  a 
few  hours  previous  to  the  wreck,  and  (as  they,  with  other 
Scillonians,  superstitiously  believe)  with  more  than 
human  power  of  prophecy.  The  islanders  assert  that 
ever  since  the  body  of  a  cruel  tyrant,  as  they  deem  the 
hero,  rested  in  this  grave,  grass  has  never  grown  upon  its 
surface,  and  they  are  confident  it  never  will  grow  there." 
"Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel's  body  being  the  next  day 
after  this  misfortune  taken  up  by  some  country  fellows, 
was  stripped  and  buried  in  the  sand.  But  on  inquiry 
made  by  the  boats  of  the  Salisbury  and  Antelope,  it 
was  discovered  where  he  was  hid  ;  from  whence  being 
taken  out,  and  the  earth  wash'd  off,  he  appeared  as 
fresh  as  if  alive,  tho'  he  had  lain  interr'd  from  the  23rd 
to  the  26th,  on  which  day  he  was  brought  on  board  the 
Salisbury^  embowell'd,  and  the  28th  of  that  month 
brought  into  Plymouth,  from  whence  he  was  after- 
wards carried  to  London.  This  was  the  fatal  end  of 
one  of  the  greatest  sea-commanders  of  our  age,  or, 
indeed,  that  ever  this  island  produced.  Of  undaunted 
courage  and  resolution,  of  wonderful  presence  of 
mind  in  the  hottest  engagements,  and  of  consummate 
skill  and  experience.  But  more  than  all  this,  he  was  a 
just,  frank,  generous,  honest,  good  man.  He  was  the 
artificer  of  his  own  fortune,  and  by  his  personal  merit 
alone,  from  the  lowest,  rais'd  himself  almost  to  the 
highest  station  in  the  navy  of  Great  Britain."^ 

^    The  History  of  the  Reign  of  Queen  Anne,  1708,  p.  242. 


646  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

But  we  have  a  much  more  detailed  and  accurate 
account  of  the  finding  of  the  body  in  the  narrative  of 
Mr.  Edmund  Herbert :  I  do  not  give  the  contractions 
as  in  the  original.  "  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovell  [was]  cast 
away  October  23rd  [actually  on  the  evening  of  the 
22nd],  being  Wednesday,  between  six  and  seven  at 
night,  off  Guilstone,  [and]  was  found  on  shoar  [at 
Porthellick  Cove]  in  S.  Marie's  Island,  stript  of  his 
shirt,  which  by  confession  was  known  to  have  been 
done  by  two  women,  which  shirt  had  his  name  at  the 
gusset  at  his  waist ;  where  by  order  of  Mr.  Harry  Pen- 
nick,  [it]  was  buried  four  yards  off  the  sands  ;  which 
place  I  myself  viewed,  and  as  [I]  was  by  his  grave, 
came  the  said  woman  that  first  saw  him  after  he  was 
stript.  His  ring  was  also  lost  from  off  his  hand,  which 
last,  however,  left  the  impression  on  his  finger,  as  also 
of  a  second.  The  Lady  Shovell  offered  a  considerable 
reward  to  any  one  [who]  should  recover  it  for  her,  and 
in  order  thereto  wrote  Captain  Benedick  Dennis, 
Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Islands  of 
Scilly,  giving  him  a  particular  description  thereof, 
who  used  his  utmost  diligence,  both  by  fair  and  foul 
means,  though  could  not  hear  of  it.  Sir  Cloudesley 
had  on  him  a  pair  of  thread  stockings  and  a  thread 
waistcoat.  Mr.  Child  [Paxton]  of  the  Arundell  caused 
him  to  be  taken  up,  and  knew  him  to  be  Sir  Cloudesley 
by  a  certain  black  mole  under  his  left  ear,  as  also  by 
the  first  joint  of  one  of  his  forefingers  being  broken 
inwards  formerly  by  playing  at  tables  ;  the  said  joint 
of  his  finger  was  also  small  and  taper,  as  well  as  stand- 
ing somewhat  inwards  ;  he  had  likewise  a  shot  in  his 
right  arm,  another  in  his  left  thigh.  Moreover,  he  was 
well  satisfied  that  it  was  he,  for  he  was  as  fresh  when 
his  face  was  washed  as  if  only  asleep  ;  his  nose  like- 
wise bled  as  though  alive.    .    .    .    Many  that  saw  him 


FATE  OF  SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL    647 

said  his  head  was  the  largest  that  ever  they  had  seen, 
and  not  at  all  swelled  with  the  water,  neither  had  he 
any  bruise  or  scar  about  him,  save  only  a  small  scratch 
above  one  of  his  eyes  like  that  of  a  pin.  He  was  a  very 
lusty,  comely  man,  and  very  fat." 

Nearly  1800  lives  were  lost  in  this  disastrous  ship- 
wreck. The  Associatio?i,  the  Eagle^  and  the  Ro7nney 
were  totally  lost  with  every  soul  on  board  save  the  one 
we  have  already  heard  of.  The  Firebrand  had  struck 
and  foundered,  but  her  captain  and  seventeen  men 
were  saved  in  a  boat,  and  two  more  of  her  crew  got  on 
shore  on  pieces  of  the  wreck. 

Sir  Cloudesley's  was  the  first  body  that  came  on 
shore,  and  there  was  a  woman  who  at  once  stripped  it 
and  robbed  it  of  its  rings.  One  of  these  was  a  fine 
emerald  set  with  diamonds,  which  is  said  to  have  been 
given  to  the  Admiral  by  his  intimate  friend  and  com- 
rade, James  Lord  Dursley,  who  so  nearly  shared  his 
fate  in  the  S.  George.  Although  strict  inquiries  were 
made  for  this  ring,  no  tidings  could  be  heard  of  it. 
Lady  Shovel  then  granted  a  pension  for  life  to  the 
woman  and  her  husband  who  had  found  the  body.  Many 
years  after  a  terrible  confession  was  made  by  a  dying 
woman  to  a  clergyman  of  S.  Mary's  Island.  She  said 
that  the  Admiral  had  been  cast  ashore  exhausted  and 
faint,  but  still  living,  and  that  she  had  squeezed  the 
life  out  of  him  for  the  sake  of  his  clothes  and  his  rings. 
She  produced  the  long-missing  emerald  hoop,  and 
gave  it  to  the  clergyman,  saying  that  she  had  been 
afraid  to  sell  it  lest  it  should  lead  to  a  discovery  of  her 
guilt,  and  she  added  that  she  could  not  die  in  peace 
until  she  had  made  this  full  confession.  This  dis- 
closure was  made  between  the  years  1732  and  1736, 
after  the  death  of  Lady  Shovel.  The  ring  was  sent  to 
Lord  Dursley,  who  became  Earl  of  Berkeley  in  1701, 


648  CORNISH    CHARACTERS  . 

and  from  him  it  descended  to  his  grandson,  Sir  George 
Cranfield  Berkeley,  and  in  the  possession  of  one  of  his 
descendants  it  still  remains,  but  has  unfortunately  been 
converted  into  a  locket. ^ 

The  Histo>y  of  the  Reign  of  Queen  Anne^  1708,  says 
that  on  "December  23rd  was  performed  the  interment 
of  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovell,  whose  body,  after  having 
lain  in  state  for  many  days,  at  the  Queen's  expense, 
was  conveyed  from  his  late  dwelling-house  in  Soho 
Square,  to  the  Abbey  of  Westminster,  where  it  was 
buried  with  all  pomp  and  magnificence  suitable  to  her 
Majesty's  high  regard  to  the  remains  of  so  brave  and 
faithful  a  commander.  There  were  at  the  ceremony 
the  Queen's  trumpets,  kettle-drums,  and  household 
drums,  with  other  music  ;  the  Queen's  and  the  Prince's 
watermen  in  their  liveries,  most  of  the  nobility's  coaches 
with  six  horses,  and  flag-officers  that  were  in  town,  and 
the  Prince's  Council,  the  Heralds-at-Arms,  and  the 
Knights'  Marshal  men." 

Sir  Cloudesley,  by  his  wife,  the  widow  of  Sir  John 
Narborough,  left  two  daughters,  of  whom  the  elder, 
Elizabeth,  married  first,  1708,  Sir  Robert  Marsham, 
Bart.,  who  was  created  Baron  Romney  in  1716;  and, 
secondly,  Lord  Carmichael,  afterwards  Earl  of  Hynd- 
ford.  The  second  daughter,  Anne,  married  in  17 18 
the  Hon.  Robert  Mansel  ;  and,  secondly,  John  Black- 
wood, Esq.,  by  whom  she  had  Shovell  Blackwood,  of 
Pitreavie,  Fife,  N.B.,  and  of  Crayford,  Kent,  and  a 
daughter. 

Elizabeth,  who  married  Sir  Robert  Marsham,  had 
issue  Robert,  second  Baron   Romney,  and  the   Hon. 

^  Cooke  (J.  H.),  The  Shipwreck  of  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovell,  Gloucester, 
1883.  For  the  account  of  the  confession  of  the  woman  he  refers  to  an 
original  letter  of  the  second  Lord  Romney  to  Captain  Locker,  now  in 
the  possession  of  the  Earl  of  Romney. 


I 


FATE  OF  SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL     649 

Elizabeth  Marsham,  who  married  Sir  Jacob  Bouverie, 
third  Baronet,  created  Viscount  Folkestone  in  1747* 
as  his  second  wife,  and  by  him  had  the  Hon.  Philip 
Bouverie,  who  assumed  the  name  of  Pusey,  and  so 
became  the  ancestress  of  Dr.  Pusey. 

Among  those  lost  as  well  as  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel 
was,  as  already  stated,  Henry,  son  of  Sir  Jonathan 
Trelawny,  Bart.,  Bishop  of  Winchester. 

A  letter  from  John  Ben,  of  S.  Hilary,  dated  Novem- 
ber i6th,  1707,  describing  the  finding  of  his  body,  has 
been  printed  in  the  second  volume  of  the  Penzance 
Natural  History  Society.     I  give  it  in  modern  spelling. 

It  was  addressed  to  the  father  of  the  young  man  who 
perished. 

''My  Lord, 

"Your  Lordship's  commands  having  been  sig- 
nified to  my  brother  at  Scilly,  he  immediately  made 
the  strictest  inquiry  that  was  possible,  all  the  bodies 
that  had  been  thrown  ashore  and  buried,  and  being 
told  of  one  buried  at  Agnes  about  Mr.  Trelawny's  age, 
was  resolved  to  have  him  taken  up  in  order  to  view 
him,  whether  it  was  he  or  no.  He  had  seen  the  young 
gentleman  at  Torbay,  but  not  willing  to  depend  on  his 
own  judgment,  desired  the  Captain  of  the  Phoenix  fire- 
ship  that  was  stranded  there,  who  knew  Mr.  Trelawny 
intimately  well  all  the  voyage,  to  go  with  him.  As 
soon  as  they  had  the  body  up,  they  found  it  actually 
to  be  the  same,  though  somewhat  altered,  having  been 
buried  eleven  days,  and  in  the  water  four  ;  however,  the 
captain  presently  knew  him,  and  my  brother  took  care 
to  have  the  body  brought  over  to  S.  Mary's,  and  in- 
terred it  in  the  chancel  of  the  church  there  the  8th 
instant,  with  all  the  marks  of  respect  and  honour  the 
island   could    show  on    such    an    occasion,  some   cap- 


650  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

tains  and  the  best  of  the  inhabitants  being  present  at 
the  funeral.  My  brother  took  of  his  hair,  being  cut 
and  that  so  close  that  the  left  lock  was  not  left  to  send 
over,  and  there  is  no  room  to  doubt  but  'twas  the  body 
of  poor  Mr.  Henry  Trelawny.  It  has  not  been  his 
good  luck  as  yet  to  meet  with  anything  belonging  to 
him,  but  whatever  of  the  nature  happens  to  come  to  his 
hand  or  knowledge  your  lordship  will  be  sure  to  have 
a  faithful  account  of  it.  They  can  say  nothing  in 
particular  touching  Sir  Cloudesley's  loss,  only  the  man 
saved  out  of  the  Romney  tells  that  Sir  Cloud  was  to  the 
windward  of  all  the  ships,  and  fired  three  guns  when 
he  struck,  and  immediately  went  down,  as  the  Romney 
a  little  after  did.  Upon  hearing  the  guns,  the  rest  of 
the  fleet  that  were  directly  bearing  on  the  same  rocks 
changed  their  course,  and  stood  more  to  the  southward, 
or  else,  in  all  probability,  they  had  run  the  same  fate, 
which  is  never  enough  to  be  admired ;  and  'twas  possible 
men  of  so  much  experience  could  be  mistaken  in  their 
reckoning,  after  they  had  the  advantage  of  a  great  deal 
of  fair  weather  beforehand,  and  no  bad  weather  when 
they  were  lost.  There  is  a  great  quantity  of  timber  all 
round  the  islands  and  abundance  of  sails  and  rigging 
just  about  the  place  where  the  ships  sunk,  and  a  mast, 
one  end  a  little  above  water,  which  makes  them  con- 
clude an  entire  ship  to  be  foundered  there,  because  all 
the  force  they  can  procure  is  not  able  to  move  the  mast. 
The  Eagle  most  certainly  is  lost  too,  and  I  wish  no 
other  of  the  squadron  may  be  wanting  ;  besides  those, 
though  I  am  heartily  sorry  for  the  loss  poor  England 
has  sustained  of  so  many  men  and  in  a  most  particular 
manner  for  the  share  your  lordship  has." 

In  a  postscript  Mr.  Ben  adds  : — 

"The  Hound  came  from  Scilly  yesterday,  and  was 
very  near  being  taken,  having  three  privateers  behind 


FATE  OF  SIR  CLOUDESLEY  SHOVEL    651 

and  two  before  her,  but  she  escaped  by  creeping  along 
the  shore,  where  they  would  not  adventure." 

The  authorities  for  the  loss  of  the  Association  and 
the  finding  of  the  body  of  Sir  Cloudesley  are  many  : — 

The  Shipim'eck  of  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovelly  by  Jas.  Her- 
bert Cooke,  F.S.A.,  Gloucester,  1883,  with  portrait  and 
map  ;  The  History  of  the  Reign  of  Queen  Aniie,  1708  ; 
Secret  Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovell, 
London,  1708;  The  Life  and  Glorious  Actions  of  Sir 
Cloudesley  Shovell^  Knt.,  London,  1709  ;  ''  Sir  Cloudes- 
ley Shovell,"  by  S.  R.  Pattison,  in  the  Journal  of  the 
Royal  Institute  of  Cornwall^  1864;  "Sir  Cloudesley 
Shovel,"  by  T.  Quiller-Couch,  ibid.^  1866. 


FRANCIS    TREGIAN 

THE  Tregion  or  Tregian  family  was  one  of 
great  antiquity  and  large  landed  estates  in 
Cornwall.  Indeed,  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth 
it  was  estimated  that  the  landed  property 
brought  in  ^^3000  per  annum,  which  represents  a  very 
much  larger  sum  now.  Their  principal  seat  was  Wolve- 
don,  or  Golden,  in  the  parish  of  Probus,  and  this,  when 
Leland  wrote  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII,  was  in  process 
of  being  built  with  great  magnificence.  But  bad  days 
were  in  store  for  some  of  the  Cornish  families  that 
would  not  accept  the  changes  in  religion. 

Carew,  in  his  Survey  of  Cornwall,  1602,  speaking  of 
Tregarrick,  then  the  residence  of  Mr.  Duller,  the 
sheriff,  says  :  "It  was  sometime  the  Wideslade's 
inheritance,  until  the  father's  rebellion  forfeited  it,"  and 
the  "son  then  led  a  walking  life  with  his  harp  to  gentle- 
men's houses,  where-through,  and  by  his  other  active 
qualities,  he  was  entitled  Sir  Tristram  ;  neither  wanted 
he  (as  some  say)  a  belle  Isounde,  the  more  aptly  to  re- 
semble his  pattern." 

The  rebellion  referred  to  was  the  rising  in  the  West 
against  the  religious  innovations,  that  was  put  down 
so  ruthlessly. 

During  the  first  years  of  Elizabeth  there  had  been  no 
persecution  of  the  Papists.  Such  as  would  not  conform 
to  the  Church  of  England  as  reformed  were  allowed  to 
have  priests  to  say  Mass  in  their  own  private  chapels. 
But  after  Pius  V,  on  April  27th,  1570,  had  issued  a  Bull 

652 


FRANCIS   TREGIAN  653 

of  excommunication  against  the  Queen,  depriving  her 
of  her  title  to  the  crown,  and  absolving  her  subjects 
from  their  oaths  of  allegiance ;  and  when  it  became  evident 
that  insurrections  were  being  provoked  by  secret  agents 
from  Rome  in  all  directions,  Elizabeth's  patience  was 
at  an  end,  and  stringent  laws  were  passed  against  those 
who  should  enter  England  as  missionary  priests  armed 
with  this  Bull  and  with  dispensations,  as  also  against  all 
such  as  should  harbour  them. 

On  S.  Bartholomew's  Day,  August  24th,  1572,  had 
taken  place  a  massacre  of  the  Huguenots  in  Paris  and 
throughout  France,  and  this  had  been  cordially  approved 
by  Pope  Gregory  XIII,  who  had  had  a  medal  struck 
to  commemorate  what  he  considered  a  meritorious  deed. 
There  could  exist  no  doubt  that  the  Papal  emis- 
saries in  England  were  encouraged  to  assassinate  the 
Queen,  though  evidence  to  that  effect  was  not  obtained 
till  later. 

On  June  8th,  1577,  Sir  Richard  Grenville  of  Stow, 
sheriff  of  Cornwall,  accompanied  by  some  of  his  justices 
of  peace,  arrived  at  Wolvedon  to  search  the  house  for 
Cuthbert  Mayne,  a  priest  who  had  arrived  in  England, 
and  who,  it  was  supposed,  was  harboured  by  Mr. 
Francis  Tregian. 

A  hasty  and  superficial  investigation  was  made,  and  no 
seminary  priest  could  be  found.  Then  Mr.  Tregian  in- 
vited the  whole  party  in  to  dine  with  him,  and  when  they 
had  been  well  regaled,  and  were  somewhat  flushed  with 
wine,  Tregian  foolishly  joked  with  the  sheriff  for 
hunting  and  finding  nothing.  Sir  Richard  started  up 
and  vowed  he  would  make  a  further  inquest,  and  that 
more  thorough,  and,  finally,  concealed  in  a  hole  under 
a  turret,  Cuthbert  Mayne  was  discovered,  drawn  forth, 
and  with  him  Tregian,  for  having  harboured  him,  was 
sent  to  Launceston  gaol,  there  to  await  trial. 


654  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

"  In  the  gaol  aforesaid,  he  was  laid  in  a  most  loath- 
some and  lousy  dungeon,  laden  with  irons,  deprived  of 
the  use  of  writing,  and  bereaved  of  the  comfort  of  read- 
ing, neither  permitted  that  any  man  might  talk  with  him 
touching  any  matter  whatsoever,  but  by  special  licence 
and  in  presence  of  the  keeper." 

The  assizes  were  held  at  Launceston  on  the  i6th 
September,  1577,  when  indictments  were  made  against 
Cuthbert  Mayne;  Francis  Tregian,  Esq.;  Richard  Tre- 
maine,  gentleman,  of  Tregonnan  ;  John  Kempe,  gen- 
tleman, of  Rosteague ;  Richard  Hore,  gentleman,  of 
Trenoweth,  and  others.  Cuthbert  Mayne  for  high 
treason  :  the  others  fell  under  the  Statute  of  Praemunire, 
and  later  and  more  specific  acts. 

The  Statute  of  Praemunire  was  but  one  of  several 
that  had  been  enacted  from  the  time  of  Edward  III, 
against  papal  interference  with  the  affairs  of  England. 
The  Statute  of  Praemunire  was  passed  in  1393.  ''Who- 
ever procures  at  Rome  or  elsewhere,  any  transla- 
tions, processes,  excommunications,  bulls,  instruments, 
or  other  things  which  touch  the  King,  against  him, 
his  crown,  and  realms,  and  all  persons  aiding  and 
assisting  therein,  shall  be  put  out  of  the  King's  protec- 
tion, their  lands  and  goods  forfeited  to  the  King's  use, 
and  they  shall  be  attached  by  their  bodies  to  answer  to 
the  King  and  his  Counsel  :  or  process  of  prcemimire 
facias  shall  be  made  out  against  them,  as  in  any  other 
case  of  prisoners." 

The  Bull  that  had  been  found  in  the  possession  of 
Cuthbert  Mayne  was  one  from  Pope  Gregory  XIII 
granting  plenary  absolution  from  all  their  sins  to  En- 
glish Papists,  as  they  were  unable  to  attend  the  Pope's 
jubilee  at  Rome,  on  condition  that  they  should  recite 
the  Rosary  fifteen  times. 

The  Bull  might  very  well  have  been  treated  with  the 


FRANCIS   TREGIAN  655 

contempt  it  merited,  but  the  fact  of  the  possession 
of  such  a  document  by  Cuthbert  Mayne  was  enough  to 
procure  his  condemnation,  as  it  was  against  the  laws 
of  England,  and  had  been  so  for  over  one  hundred  and 
eighty  years. 

The  other  gentlemen  were  liable  either  as  having 
received  Cuthbert  Mayne  into  their  houses,  or  as  having 
heard  him  say  Mass,  and  as  absenting  themselves  from 
their  parish  church. 

Here  came  in  the  sharpened  provisions  enacted  under 
Henry  VIH  and  Elizabeth. 

As  Judge  Marwood  said  at  the  trial  :  "  We  have  not 
to  do  with  your  papistical  use  in  absolving  of  sins. 
You  may  keep  it  to  yourselves,  and  although  the  date 
of  the  Bull  was  expired  and  out  of  force,  as  you  have 
alleged,  so  was  it  always  out  of  force  with  us,  for  we 
never  did,  or  never  do  account  any  such  thing  to  be 
of  force  or  worth  a  straw,  and  yet  the  same  is  by  law 
of  this  realm  treason,  and  therefore  thou  hast  deserved 
to  die." 

The  main  indictment  ran  as  follows  : — 
"  Thou  Cuthbert  Maine  art  accused  for  that  thou,  the 
ist  October,  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  our  Sovereign 
lady  the  Queen  that  now  is,  did  traitorously  obtain  from 
the  See  of  Rome  a  certain  instrument  printed,  contain- 
ing a  pretended  matter  of  absolution  of  divers  subjects 
of  the  realm.  The  tenour  of  the  which  instrument  doth 
follow  in  these  words  :  Gregorius  Episcopiis,  serines 
servorum  Dei,  etc.,  contrary  to  the  form  of  a  certain 
statute  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  our  Sovereign  lady  the 
Queen,  lately  made  and  published,  and  contrary  to  her 
peace,  crown,  and  dignity.  And  that  you,"  meaning 
the  rest,  ''after  the  said  instrument  obtained  as  afore- 
said, and  knowing  the  said  Cuthbert  Maine  to  have 
obtained  the  same  from  the  Apostolic  See,  the  30th  day 


656  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

of  April,  in  the  nineteenth  of  our  said  Sovereign  the 
Queen's  reign,  at  Golden  aforesaid,  did  aid,  maintain, 
and  comfort  the  said  Cuthbert  Maine,  of  purpose 
and  intent  to  extol  and  set  forth  the  usurped  power 
and  authority  of  a  foreign  Prelate,  that  is  to  say, 
the  Bishop  of  Rome,  teaching  and  concerning  the 
execution  of  the  premises,  contrary  to  the  said  statute 
and  published  as  aforesaid,  and  contrary  to  the  place  of 
our  Sovereign  lady  the  Queen,  her  crown  and  dignity." 
There  were  other  indictments,  as  that  Cuthbert 
Mayne  and  these  laymen  had  refused  to  attend  service 
in  the  parish  church,  and  that  the  priest  had  brought 
over  a  number  of  "vain  things,"  such  as  an  Agnus  Dei 
in  silver  or  stone,  which  had  been  blessed  by  the  Pope 
and  had  been  accepted  by  the  laymen. 

They  all  pleaded  "  Not  guilty,"  but  the  evidence 
against  them  sufficed  for  the  jury  to  find  that  they 
were  guilty,  whereupon  Cuthbert  Mayne  was  con- 
demned to  death,  and  the  rest  to  forfeit  all  their  lands 
and  property  and  to  be  imprisoned. 

"Whereupon  there  was  a  warrant  sent  unto  the 
Sheriff  of  Cornwall  for  the  execution  of  Cuthbert 
Maine.  The  day  assigned  for  the  same  purpose  was 
dedicated  unto  S.  Andrew  ;  but  on  the  eve  before,  all 
the  Justices  of  that  County,  with  many  preachers  of  the 
pretended  reformed  religion,  being  gathered  together 
at  Launceston,  Cuthbert  Maine  was  brought  before 
them,  his  legs  being  not  only  laden  with  mighty  irons, 
but  his  hands  also  fast  fettered  together  (in  which  miser- 
able case  he  had  also  remained  many  days  before),  when 
he  maintained  disputation  with  them  concerning  the 
controversy  in  religion  all  this  day  in  question,  from 
eight  of  the  clock  in  the  morning  until  it  was  almost 
dark  night,  continually  standing,  no  doubt  in  great 
pain  in  that  pitiful  plight,  on  his  feet." 


FRANCIS   TREGIAN  657 

How  that  could  be  a  great  crime  to  distribute 
some  trumpery  toys  of  crystal,  and  silver  medals 
marked  with  the  Agnus  Dei,  one  fails  to  see,  but  it 
is  possible  that  they  may  have  been  regarded  as 
badges,  pledging  those  who  received  them  to  combine 
in  a  rebellion  against  the  State,  and  perhaps  also  to 
unite  in  an  assassination  plot.  That  there  was  such  a 
plot  appeared  afterwards  from  the  confession  of  Father 
Tyrrell.  At  this  time  it  was  suspected,  but  not  proved. 
That  harsh  and  cruel  treatment  was  dealt  out  to  these 
men,  we  cannot  doubt,  but,  as  Mr.  Froude  remarks, 
''were  a  Brahmin  to  be  found  in  the  quarters  of  a 
Sepoy  regiment  scattering  incendiary  addresses,  he 
would  be  hanged  also." 

There  were  in  all  seven  indictments. 

At  first  Francis  Tregian  had  not  been  committed  to 
gaol,  but  he  was  so  shortly  after,  was  brought  to  trial, 
and  was  sentenced  to  the  spoiling  of  his  goods  and  to 
a  lifelong  imprisonment. 

Barbarous  as  these  persecutions  and  sentences  seem 
to  us  to-day,  there  was  some  justification  for  the  Queen 
and  Council  at  the  time,  surrounded  as  they  were  with 
dangers. 

The  Papal  Bull  of  excommunication  had  encouraged 
the  supporters  of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  and  plots 
were  made  on  her  behalf  which  were  a  constant  source 
of  alarm  to  Elizabeth.  One  of  these  plots  was  managed 
by  an  Italian  named  Ridolfi  ;  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  had 
a  share  in  it,  and  was  executed  in  consequence  in  1572. 
The  great  fear  was  lest  France  or  Spain  should  take 
advantage  of  the  situation  to  invade  England,  while 
Mary's  friends  raised  insurrections  at  home.  Mary's 
friends  were  active  in  all  parts.  Numbers  of  young 
Popish  priests,  trained  to  hostility  towards  Elizabeth, 
were  pouring  into  the  country,  and  conspiracies  against 
2  u 


658  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

her  life  were  numerous,  explaining,  though  in  no 
degree  justifying  the  stringent  laws  against  seminary 
priests  and  recusants. 

To  return  to  Cuthbert  Mayne. 

"Wherefore,  according  to  the  judgment  he  had 
received,  the  next  day  he  was  uneasily  laid  on  a  hurdle, 
and  so  drawn,  receiving  some  knocks  on  his  face  and 
his  fingers  with  a  girdle,  unto  the  market-place  of  the 
said  town,  where  of  purpose  there  was  a  very  high 
gibbet  erected,  and  all  things  else,  both  fire  and  knives, 
set  to  the  show  and  ready  prepared. 

"At  which  place  of  execution,  when  he  came,  he 
was  first  forced  to  mount  the  ladder  backward,  and 
after  permitted  to  use  very  few  words.  Notwithstand- 
ing he  briefly  opened  the  cause  of  his  condemnation, 
and  protested,  that  his  master  (Mr.  Tregian)  was  never 
privy  with  his  having  of  these  things  whereupon  he 
was  condemned — the  Jubilee  and  the  Agnus  Dei;  then 
one  of  the  justices,  interrupting  his  talk,  commanded 
the  hangman  to  put  the  rope  about  his  neck,  and  then, 
quoth  he,  let  him  preach  afterward.  Which  done, 
another  commanded  the  ladder  to  be  overturned,  so  as 
he  had  not  the  leisure  to  recite  In  manus  tuas  Domine 
to  the  end.  With  speed  he  was  cut  down,  and  with 
the  fall  had  almost  ended  his  life,  for  the  gibbet  being 
very  high,  and  he  being  yet  in  the  swing  when  the 
rope  was  cut,  he  fell  in  such  sort,  as  his  head  en- 
countered the  scaffold  which  was  there  prepared  of 
purpose  to  divide  the  quarters,  as  the  one  side  of  his 
face  was  sorely  bruised,  and  one  of  his  eyes  far  driven 
out  of  his  head. 

"After  he  was  cut  down,  the  hangman  first  spoiled 
him  of  his  clothes,  and  then  in  butcherly  manner, 
opening  his  belly,  he  rent  up  his  bowels,  and  after  tore 
out  his  heart,  which  he  held  up  aloft  in  his  hand,  show- 


FRANCIS   TREGIAN  659 

ing  it  unto  the  people.  Lastly,  his  head  was  cut  off, 
and  his  body  divided  into  four  quarters,  which  after- 
wards were  dispersed  and  set  up  on  the  Castle  of 
Launceston  ;  one  quarter  sent  unto  Bodmin  ;  another 
to  Barnstaple  ;  the  third  to  Tregony,  not  a  mile  distant 
from  Mr.  Tregian's  house  ;  the  fourth  to  Wadebridge." 

Not  only  was  Francis  Tregian  adjudged  to  forfeit 
his  goods,  but  he  was  also  prosecuted  by  a  goldsmith, 
who  claimed  a  debt  of  £^0. 

Accordingly  he  was  sent  up  to  London  to  the  King's 
Bench  prison,  "strongly  guarded  by  a  ruffianly  sort  of 
bloody  blue-coats,  with  bows,  bills,  and  guns "  ;  and 
the  arms  of  Tregian  were  pinioned  behind  his  back 
with  cords.  With  him  were  associated  the  other  Papists ; 
and  they  met  with  insult  and  harsh  treatment  all  the 
way  to  London.  There  he  was  again  tried  and  cast 
into  prison. 

We  are  gravely  informed  that  before  these  calamities 
befell  Francis  Tregian,  a  premonition  of  coming  woes 
had  been  given  to  his  wife. 

"Mr.  Tregian,  her  husband,  not  many  days  after 
they  were  first  married,  enforced  for  ten  months  to 
follow  the  Lords  of  the  Council,  his  wife  always  in  the 
mean  season  lying  with  a  very  virtuous  maid,  a  sister 
of  her  husband's,  it  chanced  that  one  night  looking  for 
fleas,  as  the  manner  of  women  is,  she  espied  in  her 
smock  sundry  spots,  the  which  she  perceived  to  carry 
the  shape  of  sundry  crosses.  Whereat  she,  much 
marvelling,  besought  her  sister  to  behold  the  same  ; 
whereupon,  when  both  had  long  looked  and  wondered, 
at  length  endeavouring  to  number  them,  they  found 
contained  in  the  same  smock  no  less  than  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  crosses,  and  after,  upon  more  curious 
search,  they  likewise  found  sundry  other,  both  on  her 
pillow  and  in  her  sheets." 


66o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

This  omen  of  coming  evil  was  now  verified,  but  not 
by  flea-bites.  Francis  Tregian  remained  in  prison 
cruelly  treated,  and  when  he  attempted  to  make  his 
escape,  manacled  and  fettered  in  a  loathsome  dungeon. 
From  his  cell  he  wrote  in  verse  to  his  wife,  but  did  not 
display  much  brilliancy  of  poetic  art. 

My  wont  is  not  to  write  in  verse, 

You  know,  gfood  wife,  I  wis. 
Wherefore  you  well  may  bear  with  me. 

Though  now  I  write  amiss  ; 
For  lack  of  ink  the  candle  coal. 

For  pen  a  pin  I  use, 
The  which  also  I  may  allege 

In  part  of  my  excuse. 
For  said  it  is  of  many  men 

And  such  as  are  no  fools, 
A  workman  is  but  little  worth 

If  he  do  want  his  tools  ; 
Though  tools  I  have  wherewith  in  sort 

My  mind  I  may  disclose. 
They  are,  in  truth,  more  fit  to  paint 

A  nettle  than  a  rose. 

And  so  on,  never  rising  to  a  higher  level. 

But  his  wife  was  allowed  to  visit  him,  and  indeed 
reside  with  him  in  prison.  '*  And  although  through  the 
rigour  of  authority  they  have  been  often  separated, 
sometimes  two  months,  sometimes  seven,  sometimes 
more,  she  hath  borne  him,  notwithstanding,  eleven 
children  since  he  was  first  imprisoned.  Some  are 
dead,  but  the  most  part  are  alive." 

Francis  Tregian  was  first  committed  to  prison  in  the 
twenty-eighth  year  of  his  age,  and  in  the  year  1595, 
when  he  had  been  about  sixteen  years  in  prison,  some 
notes  were  drawn  up  concerning  him,  from  which  some 
quotations  may  be  made. 

In  all  the  sixteen  years'  space  he  had  never  been  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  the  benefit  of  the  open  air  otherwise 
than  when  being  removed  from  one  prison  to  another. 


FRANCIS   TREGIAN  66i 

He  was  first  imprisoned  at  Launceston,  then  was  re- 
moved to  Windsor  Castle ;  thence  removed  to  the 
Marshalsea,  and  then  again  carried  back  to  Launceston 
Castle.  Then  he  was  conveyed  to  the  King's  Bench 
prison,  and  lastly  to  the  Fleet. 

For  seven  or  eight  years  together  he  enjoyed  good 
health  ;  ''  but  in  the  end,  through  cares,  studies,  filthy 
diet,  most  stinking  air,  and  want  of  exercise,  he  became 
very  sickly,  and  so  continued  by  the  space  of  six  or 
seven  years  ;  notwithstanding  at  this  present  the  state 
of  his  body  is  much  mended,  and  is  like  to  recover  his 
perfect  health." 

His  mother  was  the  eldest  sister  of  Sir  John  Arundell, 
Knight,  of  Lanherne.  His  great-grandmother  was  one 
of  the  daughters  of  Thomas  Grey,  Marquis  of  Dor- 
chester, half-brother  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
King  Henry  VH,  and  daughter  of  Edward  IV.  He 
married  the  eldest  sister  of  Lord  Stourton.  His  wife's 
mother  was  eldest  sister  of  the  Earl  of  Derby.  Francis 
Tregian  remained  in  prison  eighteen  years,  and  was 
finally  released  by  order  of  Queen  Elizabeth  in  or 
about  1597,  after  which  he  lived  in  London  on  the 
bounty  of  his  friends. 

His  son,  Francis,  managed  to  repossess  himself,  by 
the  assistance  of  some  of  his  friends  and  relatives,  by 
purchase  of  some  portion  of  the  ancestral  property, 
but  in  January,  1608,  owing  to  the  hostility  provoked 
by  the  Gunpowder  Plot  against  the  Papists,  the  family 
was  again  plundered  of  the  estates,  and  when  the 
Heralds'  Visitation  of  Cornwall  was  taken  in  1620,  the 
family  had  disappeared  from  the  list  of  the  landed  and 
heraldic  gentry. 

Francis  Tregian,  the  elder,  at  last  retired  to  Lisbon, 
where  he  died  on  the  25th  September,  1608.  He  was 
allowed  by  the  King  of  Portugal  sixty  crowns  a  month. 


662  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

On  his  tombstone  it  was  stated,  falsely,  that  he  had 
endured  twenty-eight  years  of  imprisonment  in  Eng- 
land. As  a  specimen  of  the  malignant  lies  that  were 
spread  abroad  relative  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  is  this — 
given  in  a  life  of  Francis  Tregian  by  Francis  Plunket, 
son  of  one  of  his  daughters  : — 

"Aulam  Elizabethae  adit  .  .  .  Regina  per  pedisse- 
quam  ilium  invitat  ad  cubiculum,  intempesta  nocte  ; 
recusantem  adit,  lectoque  assistens  ad  impudica 
provocat ;  rennentem  increpat.  Castitati  suae  cusam 
gerens  ex  Aula  se  proripuit,  insalutata  Regina  ;  quae 
idcirco  furit,  et  in  carcerem  detrudi  jubet." 

Such  words  fill  one  with  disgust  and  indignation 
against  the  pack  from  Rheims  and  Rome,  who,  unable 
to  reach  the  Queen  with  their  daggers,  bespattered  her 
with  foul  words. 

The  Life  of  Francis  Tregian  was  published  in 
Portuguese,  at  Lisbon,  by  Francis  Plunket,  in  1655. 
The  narrative  of  his  imprisonment,  written  in  1593,  is 
published  in  extenso  by  J.  Morris,  The  Troubles  of  our 
Catholic  Forefathers^  ist  series,  London,  1872,  from 
the  original  MS.  in  S.  Mary's  College,  Oscott. 

A  summary  is  in  C.  S.  Gilbert's  Historical  Survey  of 
Cornwall^  18 17. 


ANN    GLANVILLE 

SALTASH  was  formerly  a  very  much  more 
important  place  than  it  is  to-day.  Now  the 
tubular  bridge  of  Brunei  connects  Cornwall 
and  Devon,  and  railway  trains  slip  along 
it,  making  communication  with  Plymouth  from  Corn- 
wall easy  and  speedy.  It  was  not  so  in  former 
times.  Then  travellers  from  the  West  on  their  way 
to  Plymouth  or  to  London,  if  they  did  not  go  by 
coach  by  the  great  highway  from  Falmouth,  by 
Bodmin  and  Launceston,  were  brought  up  by  the  strip 
of  blue  water  that  formed  the  estuary  of  the  Tamar  and 
Tavy,  called  the  Hamoaze,  and  there,  after  halting  at 
Saltash  they  were  forced  to  cross  in  the  ferry  or  by  boat. 
Saltash  signifies  the  Saltwater — ash  =  ask,  and  Ham- 
oaze is  the  Border  water,  oaze  =  usk  as  well. 

The  Saltash  boatmen  plied  a  good  trade,  conveying 
over  the  passengers  from  Cornwall  to  Devon.  More- 
over, houses  were  cheap  at  Saltash,  and  old  salts  lived 
there,  where  they  could  smell  the  sea  air,  and  every 
now  and  then  crossed  into  Plymouth  to  do  their  shop- 
ping. From  time  immemorial  there  had  been  boat- 
races  in  the  Hamoaze,  and  the  women  of  Saltash  were 
not  behind  the  men  at  plying  the  oar. 

Mr.  Whitfeld  in  his  Three  Toivns'  History  says  : — 

*'The    Saltash    festival   was    by    no    means    wholly 

intended  for  the  encouragement  of  the  males,  for  the 

'  ladies '  feathered  their  oars  with  such  dexterity  that 

few  of  the  opposite  sex  would  enter  the  lists  against 

663 


664  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

them.  Before  the  races  for  these  damsels  of  uncertain 
age  were  started,  blue  favours  were  tied  round  their 
white  caps  by  members  of  the  committee.  The  fair 
rowers  were  attired  in  short  white  bedgowns  and  blue 
cap-guards,  and  their  gigs  shot  around  the  course  of 
five  miles  '  like  so  many  birds.'  From  a  sporting  point 
of  view  the  feature  of  the  first  regatta  was  a  life  or 
death  competition  between  Jacky  Gould  and  the  Glan- 
villes.  If  Jacky's  boat,  Miller's  Daughter,  was  the 
crack,  Alarm  was  scarcely  inferior,  and  Paul  Pry  was 
a  first-class  craft.  Crash  !  went  the  starting-gun,  and 
the  competitors  dashed  away  with  a  flood  tide  and  a 
breeze  from  the  northward.  When  they  left  on  their 
ten-mile  course  one  vast  shout  went  up,  the  boats  flew 
as  instinct  with  life,  every  nerve  on  the  stretch.  The 
first  five  miles  were  covered  in  thirty  minutes,  and  as 
the  boats  turned  the  committee  vessel  there  were  deaf- 
ening shouts  of  'Bravo,  Jacky.'  'Well  done,  Glan- 
ville ! '  Then  these  hearts-of-oak  flashed  on  their 
second  round,  and  excitement  intensified  as  the  tele- 
scope reported  progress.  When  the  boats  reappeared 
the  suspense  broke  into  a  feverish  roar,  and  calls  to  the 
rivals  were  tossed  like  corks  on  a  sea  of  voices.  Swiftly 
they  drew  near,  the  boats  in  a  line,  the  interest  increased 
to  painful  intensity  as  the  race  was  neck-and-neck. 
The  judge  stood  by,  red-hot  poker  in  hand,  and  as  the 
bow  of  the  Alarm,  pulled  by  the  Glanvilles,  first 
touched  the  hawsers  of  the  committee  vessel.  Bang  ! 
went  the  signal  gun;  'See  the  Conquering  Hero' 
burst  from  the  band,  and  hundreds  clustered  round  to 
congratulate  the  victors,  and  condole  with  Jacky  Gould, 
who  was  only  five  seconds  behind,  though  the  boat  was 
two  feet  shorter,  and  one  of  his  crew  had  broken  an 
oar. 

The   Glanvilles   were   amphibious — or    rather    lived 


ANN    GI.ANVII.I.E 


Hi 


ANN   GLANVILLE  665 

almost  wholly  on  the  water  during  the  day,  only 
returning  to  the  land  for  sleep  at  night. 

The  name  is  old.  The  first  Glanvilles  of  whom  we 
know  anything  authentic  were  located  at  Whitchurch, 
near  Tavistock,  where  they  were  tanners,  but  a  Judge 
Glanville  raised  the  family  to  a  higher  position,  in  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth.  Some,  however,  remained  in  a 
modest  position,  as  did  these  boatmen  of  Saltash,  and 
as  did  a  huntsman  to  the  late  Mr.  Kelly,  of  Kelly. 

There  occurred  a  terrible  tragedy  in  the  family,  when 
Eulalia  Glanville,  niece  of  the  Judge,  murdered  her 
husband,  old  John  Page,  a  merchant  of  Plymouth, 
and  was  burnt  alive  for  the  crime,  as  one  of  petty 
treason,  at  Barnstaple,  in   1591. 

In  1824  at  the  regatta  was  offered  a  prize  of  ;^8  for 
a  four-oared  race  for  women,  but  no  Glanville  was  in 
that.  Ten  years  later,  in  1834,  ^^  the  regatta  ;!^20  was 
offered  for  boats  sculled  by  women,  and  in  this  pulled 
a  Mary  Glanville.  But  the  queen  of  women  scullers  of 
the  Glanville  stock  was  Ann,  and  she  only  entered  it 
by  marriage,  by  birth  a  Warring.^  Mr.  P.  E.  B. 
Porter,  in  his  Around  and  About  Saltash,  1905,  thus 
describes  her  : — 

"Ann  Glanville  was  undoubtedly  a  remarkable 
woman  for  many  reasons.  Only  such  a  place  as 
Saltash,  in  such  a  naval  port  as  this,  could  have 
produced  a  character  like  it.  Only  such  a  country 
as  England  could  have  produced  such  a  woman.  She 
was  a  genuine  representative  of  Saltash  in  its  great 
nautical  days,  when  it  was  alive  with  business.  The 
British  tar  was  to  her  the  ideal  of  a  man  and  the  very 
highest  type  of  a  hero.  Into  whatever  trouble  Jack 
got  when  ashore,  however  he  might  have  been  forsaken 

'  Her  mother  was  married  three  times — first  to  Warring,  second  to 
Vosper,  third  to  Geo.  Bucking-ham. 


666  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

by  all  else  in  his  reckless  frivolity,  he  never  wanted  for 
a  backer  if  Ann  Glanville  was  near.  And  there  was 
not  a  ship  in  the  navy,  in  those  days,  that  had  not 
some  story  to  tell  of  Ann's  life  and  energy,  and  in 
which  her  name  was  not  cherished  as  only  a  British 
sailor  can  cherish  the  memory  of  a  friend.  In  a  per- 
fectly true  sense,  Ann  Glanville  was  a  mother  to 
the  British  tar  indiscriminately  ;  she  was  known  as 
Mother,  and  called  Mother,  by  all." 

Ann  was  born  at  Saltash  in  1796,  and  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  man  named  Warring  or  Werring.  She  married 
a  man  several  years  her  junior  in  years,  and  by  him 
became  the  mother  of  fourteen  children.  He  was  a 
waterman,  she  a  waterwoman,  and  their  children, 
every  boy  and  girl,  water-babies. 

He  had  his  boat,  and  when  he  was  otherwise  engaged 
— nursing  the  children,  for  instance,  or  merry-making 
in  the  tavern — she  rowed  across  to  Devonport. 

Not  passengers  only,  but  goods  were  conveyed  to 
and  from  Plymouth  by  the  boats.  Corn,  crockery, 
drapery,  everything  except  live  cattle  went  in  them. 
These  latter  by  the  ferry.  Sometimes  she  rowed  out 
officers  to  their  ships,  sometimes  conveyed  play-actors 
over  from  Plymouth  into  Cornwall,  and  on  the  great 
event  of  the  elections  at  Saltash,  candidates,  electors, 
pot-boilers,  political  orators.  Meat  and  vegetables  went 
over  in  these  boats  to  Plymouth  market :  a  gentleman 
remembers  Ann  bringing  round  as  many  as  seventy 
or  eighty  bags  of  corn  in  her  boat  from  South  Pool, 
pulling  the  great  cargo  alone,  conveying  it  from 
Sutton  Pool  to  Butt's  Head  Mill,  a  point  two  miles 
above  Saltash. 

Ann's  husband  fell  ill  and  was  long  confined  to  bed, 
and  the  house  and  then  the  whole  burden  of  supporting 
the  family  fell  to  her.     But  she  had  strong  arms  and 


ANN   GLANVILLE  667 

a  stouter  heart,  and  managed  not  only  to  keep  the  wolf 
from  the  door,  but  the  doctor  as  well. 

''Have  you  got  a  doctor  here,  or  have  you  to  send 
over  to  Plymouth  for  one?  "  she  was  asked. 

"Well,  I  believe  there  may  be  one  here,  but,  thank 
God,  here  us  most  commonly  dies  a  natural  death." 

Ann's  fame  as  a  rower  at  regattas  spread  throughout 
England.  Some  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago  the  crew 
of  Saltash  women  was  one  of  the  most  important  fea- 
tures, not  only  in  the  Hamoaze,  but  all  over  the  county 
wherever  aquatic  sports  were  given.  She  always  rowed 
stroke.  It  was  very  rarely  that  Ann  and  her  crew  were 
beaten  in  a  match — never  by  other  women.  The 
strength  and  endurance  of  these  women,  and  their  daring 
in  accepting  challenges  and  in  the  contests  on  the  water, 
attracted  universal  attention.  They  competed  for  prizes 
at  Hull,  Liverpool,  Portsmouth,  Dartmouth,  etc., 
and  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  a  male  crew  yielded 
the  palm  to  them  out  of  masculine  courtesy,  for  the 
men  did  not  at  all  relish  being  beaten  by  a  "parcel  o' 
females,"  as  they  were  sure  to  have  the  fact  thrown  in 
their  teeth  afterwards. 

Mrs.  Harriet  Screech,  a  daughter  of  Ann  Glanville, 
rowed  along  with  her  mother  in  some  of  these  contests, 
pulling  the  bow-oar,  the  least  arduous  post,  assigned 
to  her  as  the  youngest  of  the  crew.  When  engaged  in 
a  match  at  Fleetwood  before  the  Queen,  they  gave  the 
men  so  sound  a  beating  that  Her  Majesty  requested  to 
have  Ann  presented  to  her. 

But  the  most  famous  event  of  her  life  took  place  in 
1850,  when  Captain  Russell,  of  H.M.S.  Brunswick^ 
suggested  to  her  that  she  and  her  crew  should  go  over 
to  Havre  to  the  regatta  there  and  challenge  the  Johnny 
Crapauds.  She  was  quite  prepared,  and  started  under 
the  escort  of  Captain  Russell. 


668  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

When  the  Frenchmen  heard  of  the  challenge  from 
les  Anglaises  de  Saltashe,  they  shrugged  their  shoulders, 
and  hardly  regarded  it  as  serious.  And  when  the 
strong,  muscular  women  appeared  in  their  white-frilled 
caps  prinked  out  with  blue  ribbon,  their  short  petti- 
coats, white  dresses,  with  a  blue  neckerchief  tied  over 
the  shoulders  and  crossed  behind  the  back,  they  looked 
puzzled. 

Mr.  Porter  says:  *'The  challenge  of  the  English 
captain  created  a  stir  not  only  in  Havre,  but  for  miles 
around  the  French  coast,  and  for  many  leagues  inland 
too.  In  England  great  interest  was  felt  in  the  forth- 
coming match,  and  in  a  short  time  it  assumed  a  kind  of 
international  character.  Thus  when  the  regatta  day 
came  there  was  a  vast  concourse  of  people  to  witness 
the  contest.  Every  quay,  hill-top,  and  house-roof 
whence  a  view  of  the  course  could  be  obtained  was 
crowded.  All  were  on  the  tiptoe  of  expectation  for  les 
Anglaises.  .  .  .  Before  the  start  the  Saltash  crew  had 
a  pull  round  '  to  show  themselves,'  and  when  their 
steady  stroke  was  seen,  how  they  bent  their  backs  to 
the  work,  yet  with  what  perfect  ease  and  grace  they 
pulled,  our  French  friends  opened  their  eyes  wider 
than  usual.  Ann  and  her  crew  had  not  the  fairest  start 
possible,  nor  had  they  the  advantage  at  first.  Six 
boats  were  ahead  of  them  five  minutes  after  the  start. 
But  they  soon  tested  their  opponents.  After  a  little 
opening  play  to  get  into  trim,  Ann,  who  had  the 
stroke  oar,  gave  the  word,  '  Bend  your  backs  to 
it,  maidens ;  and  hoorah  for  old  England ! '  One 
by  one  the  French  boats  were  passed  with  a  cheer 
from  old  Ann.  At  length  the  Saltash  boat,  with 
the  British  colours  flying  gaily  at  the  fore,  took 
the  leading  position.  It  was  a  long  course  and  a 
hard  pull,  but  the  Frenchmen  were  soundly  thrashed. 


ANN   GLANVILLE  669 

Ann  and  her  *  maidens '  beat  them  by  one  hundred 
yards." 

However  gallant  Frenchmen  may  be,  they  did  not 
at  all  relish  this  beating. 

The  names  of  the  crew  were  Ann  Glanville,  Harriet 
Hosking,  Jane  House,  and  Amelia  Lee.  A  man  acted 
as  coxswain. 

Mrs.  House  was  so  elated  at  the  victory  that  on 
reaching  the  committee  boat  she  plunged  into  the 
water,  dived  under  the  vessel,  and  came  up  with  drip- 
ping and  drooping  nightcap  on  the  opposite  side. 

When  the  Prince  of  Wales,  our  present  King,  and 
the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  came  into  Plymouth  Sound  in 
connection  with  the  building  of  the  new  Eddystone 
Lighthouse,  Ann  was  sent  for.  A  steam  launch  was 
despatched  to  convey  her  to  the  vessel,  where  were 
their  Highnesses,  and  she  dined  on  board.  Lord 
Charles  Beresford  always  entertained  a  high  regard 
for  her,  and  never  came  to  Plymouth  without  visiting 
her.  During  her  last  illness  she  had  his  likeness  placed 
on  one  side  of  her  bed,  and  that  of  her  deceased 
husband  on  the  other. 

She  died  in  1880  at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  In 
person  Ann  Glanville  was  tall,  firmly  and  vigorously 
built,  not  stout,  straight  about  the  bust  and  waist. 
When  young  she  must  have  been  good-looking,  for 
when  old  her  face  was  handsome  and  always  possessed 
great  dignity.  The  mouth  was  firm.  There  was  a 
kindly  light  in  her  grey  eyes.  She  was  always  fond 
of  a  joke,  and  her  character  was  summed  up  by  a 
neighbour  :  "  Her  was  honest  to  a  farthing,  clean  as  a 
smelt,  and  kind-hearted  as  a  queen." 


JONATHAN  SIMPSON,  HIGHWAYMAN 


THIS  great  rascal  was  born  at  Launceston  in 
1654  o^  respectable  parents,  and  his  father, 
who  was  well-off,  apprenticed  him  to  a  linen 
draper  at  Bristol  when  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  When  he  had  served  out  his  time, 
which  he  did  with  the  repute  of  being  a  steady, 
industrious  youth,  his  father  gave  him  fifteen  hundred 
pounds  wherewith  to  set  up  in  Bristol.  About  a  year 
after  he  unhappily  married  a  woman  who  was  the 
cause  of  his  downfall  and  finally  of  his  death.  She 
had  two  thousand  pounds  of  her  own,  and  this  added 
to  what  he  already  possessed  promised  him  a  consider- 
able extension  of  his  business  with  corresponding 
profits. 

But  the  girl  he  had  chosen  for  his  wife  had  pre- 
viously engaged  herself  to  a  young  man  of  small 
means,  and  her  parents  had  forced  her  into  marriage 
with  Simpson  as  being  better  off  and  with  good 
prospects.  She  resented  her  compulsory  marriage, 
and  did  not  disguise  her  indifference  to  her  husband. 
Although  her  former  lover,  in  a  fit  of  disgust  at  his 
rejection,  had  also  married,  Simpson  ascertained  that 
they  corresponded. 

Determined  to  find  out  the  truth,  that  she  still  loved 
the  man,  he  announced  to  his  wife  that  he  was  going  to 
Launceston  for  ten  or  twelve  days  to  see  his  relations. 
As  soon  as  he  was  gone  his  wife  sent  to  invite  her 
galant  to  supper,  and  provided  for  his  entertainment 

670 


JONATHAN   SIMPSON,  HIGHWAYMAN   671 

a  couple  of  fowls  and  a  bottle  of  wine.  Either  the 
fowls  must  have  been  very  small,  or  their  appetites 
voracious. 

In  the  evening  Jonathan  Simpson  returned,  entered 
his  house,  and  rushed  to  the  dining-room.  His  wife 
had  but  just  time  to  shut  her  galant  into  the  oak  chest ; 
but  not  before  Simpson  had  seen  by  the  movement  of 
the  lid  that  he  was  there.  However,  he  gave  no  token 
of  having  perceived  anything,  expressed  his  delight 
at  so  good  a  supper  having  been  prepared,  and  de- 
spatched his  wife  to  the  further  end  of  the  town  on 
an  errand.  No  sooner  was  she  gone  than  he  sent  for 
the  wife  of  '' Pil-Garlic,"  and  on  her  arrival  disclosed 
the  man  in  the  box,  and  enjoyed  the  scene  of  re- 
crimination that  ensued. 

The  vexation  at  the  discovery  he  had  made  that  he 
could  expect  no  domestic  happiness  created  a  great 
change  in  Jonathan  Simpson's  life.  He  sold  his  busi- 
ness, refused  to  receive  his  wife  back  into  his  house 
again,  and  with  all  the  money  he  could  scrape  together 
that  amounted  to  five  thousand  pounds,  quitted  Bristol, 
and  swore  he  would  never  re-enter  it. 

He  now  led  a  riotous  life,  spending  his  money  so 
freely  that  at  the  end  of  eighteen  months  all  his  five 
thousand  pounds  was  gone,  and  then  he  took  to  the 
road  to  supply  himself  with  more.  After  a  while  he 
was  arrested  for  highway  robbery,  and  was  sent  to  the 
Old  Bailey,  tried,  and  condemned  to  be  hanged. 

His  relatives  at  Launceston  now  exerted  themselves 
to  obtain  a  reprieve,  and  by  bribery  and  persuasion 
they  got  one,  but  only  at  the  last  moment.  Simpson 
was  already  under  the  gallows,  with  the  rope  round  his 
neck,  when  it  arrived,  and  the  execution  was  arrested. 

As  he  was  riding  back  to  Newgate  behind  one  of  the 
sheriff's  officers  that  man  asked  him  what  he  thought 


672  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

of  a  reprieve  as  he  stood  on  the  scaffold.  *'No  more," 
answered  Simpson,  "than  I  thought  of  my  dying 
day." 

On  reaching  the  prison  door  the  turnkey  refused  to 
admit  him,  declaring  that  he  could  not  take  him  in 
again  without  a  fresh  warrant  ;  and  as  this  could  not 
well  be  obtained,  the  sheriff's  officer  was  obliged  to  let 
him  go  free. 

"Well,"  said  Simpson,  "what  an  unhappy  dog  am 
I  !  that  both  Tyburn  and  Newgate  should  in  one  day 
refuse  to  entertain  me.  I'll  mend  my  manners  for  the 
future,  and  try  whether  I  cannot  merit  a  reception  at 
them  both  the  next  time  I  am  brought  thither." 

He  was  as  good  as  his  word,  and  after  his  release 
is  believed  to  have  committed  above  forty  robberies  in 
the  county  of  Middlesex  within  the  ensuing  six  weeks. 

He  was  a  good  skater,  and  made  a  practice  of  rob- 
bing people  on  the  ice  between  Fulham  and  Kingston 
Bridge,  in  the  great  frost  of  1689,  which  held  for 
thirteen  weeks.  He  would  kick  up  their  heels,  and 
search  their  pockets  as  they  lay  sprawling  on  the  ice. 

On  one  occasion  a  gentleman  whom  he  stopped  gave 
him  a  silk  purse  full  of  counters,  which  Simpson  took  for 
gold,  and  so  did  not  examine  them  till  he  reached  the 
inn  where  he  put  up.  When  he  found  that  he  had  been 
outwitted  he  quietly  pocketed  the  brass  booty,  and 
abided  his  time  till  he  should  meet  the  same  gentleman 
again.  This  he  did  at  the  end  of  four  months,  when 
he  waylaid  him  on  Bagshot  Heath,  where,  riding  up  to 
the  coach,  he  said,  as  he  presented  a  pistol  at  the 
gentleman's  head,  "Sir,  I  believe  you  made  a  mistake 
the  last  time  I  had  the  happiness  to  see  you,  in  giving 
me  these  pieces.  I  have  been  troubled  ever  since  for 
fear  you  should  have  wanted  these  counters  at  cards, 
and  am  glad  of  this  opportunity  to  return  them.     But 


JOHATHAN  SIMPSON,  HIGHWAYMAN   673 

for  my  care  I  require  you  this  moment  to  descend  from 
your  coach  and  give  me  your  breeches,  that  I  may 
search  them  at  leisure,  and  not  trust  any  more  to  your 
generosity,  lest  you  should  mistake  again." 

The  gentleman  was  obliged  to  comply,  and  Simpson 
carried  off  the  breeches  with  him  to  his  inn,  and  on 
searching  them  found  a  gold  watch,  a  gold  snuff-box, 
and  a  purse  containing  ninety-eight  guineas  and  five 
gold  jacobuses. 

On  another  occasion  he  robbed  Lord  Delamere  in 
an  ingenious  fashion.  That  nobleman  was  driving 
over  Dumoor  Heath  in  his  coach  well  attended  by 
armed  servants.  Simpson  rode  up  to  the  carriage  and 
told  his  lordship  that  he  had  been  waylaid  and  robbed 
by  some  rogues,  two  in  number,  at  a  little  distance. 
Lord  Delamere  at  once  despatched  his  armed  and 
mounted  escort  in  pursuit,  and  Simpson  took  the 
opportunity  of  their  absence  to  rob  the  nobleman  of 
forty  pounds.  After  that  experience  Lord  Delamere 
vowed  he  would  never  again  show  kindness  to  a 
stranger. 

At  last  Simpson  was  taken  near  Acton  by  means 
of  two  captains  of  the  Foot  Guards,  where  he  attempted 
to  rob  both  together.  There  ensued  an  obstinate  fight 
between  them,  and  Simpson  behaved  with  so  much 
bravery  that  in  all  probability  he  would  have  escaped, 
had  not  one  of  the  officers  shot  the  horse  on 
which  he  rode,  which,  falling,  carried  Jonathan  down 
with  it.  He  had  already  been  wounded  in  his  arms 
and  one  of  his  legs,  but  both  his  opponents  were  also 
wounded  and  bleeding.  Whilst  on  the  ground  he 
continued  to  resist  with  desperation  whilst  extricating 
himself  from  his  fallen  horse  ;  but  the  sound  of  the 
fray  had  called  up  other  passengers,  and  he  was  over- 
mastered and  sent   to  Newgate,   where  he  found  the 

2   X 


674  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

keeper  so  much  of  a  friend  that  on  this  occasion  he 
was  ready  to  receive  him.  Tyburn  also  was  suffi- 
ciently hospitable  not  to  reject  him,  and  he  was  hanged 
on  Wednesday,  8th  September,  1686,  in  his  thirty- 
third  year. 


DAVIES    GILBERT 

THE  simple  and  quiet  life  of  a  country  gentle- 
man who  does  not  hunt,  but  spends  his 
days  in  the  library  among  books,  or  at  his 
desk  making  calculations,  presents  little  of 
interest  to  the  general  reader.  But  Davies  Gilbert  is 
not  a  man  to  be  passed  over  in  a  collection  of  minor 
worthies  of  Cornwall. 

Mr.  Gilbert's  original  name  was  Giddy,  and  he  was 
the  grandson  of  a  Mr.  John  Giddy,  of  Truro,  who  had 
two  sons,  Edward  and  Thomas  ;  the  former  took  Holy 
Orders,  and  became  curate  of  S.  Erth,  and  never 
obtained  any  better  preferment.  Here  he  married 
Catherine,  daughter  of  John  Davis,  of  Tredrea,  the 
representative  of  several  ancient  families,  and  inheriting 
what  fragments  were  left  of  the  property  of  William 
Noye,  Attorney-General  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I. 

At  S.  Erth  was  born,  6  March,  1767,  Davies  Giddy, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.     After  having  been 

The  whining-  schoolboy,  with  his  satchel, 
And  shiningf  morning  face,  creeping  like  snail 
Unwillingly  to  school, 

at  Penzance,  he  passed  to  Oxford,  and  entered  Pembroke 
College,  his  father  going  up  to  Oxford  to  reside  with 
him.  Dr.  Johnson,  who  was  also  of  Pembroke,  once 
said,  in  allusion  to  the  poetical  characters  brought  up 
there,  that  it  was  a  veritable  nest  of  singing-birds. 
Davies  Giddy  was  not  a  singer  or  a  poet  himself,  but 

67s 


676  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

taught  others  to  sing,  for  he  collected  and  published 
the  traditional  Cornish  carols  with  their  melodies,  now 
taken  into  every  book  of  Christmas  carols  and  sung  at 
the  feast  of  Noel  from  John  o'  Groats  House  to  the 
Land's  End,  in  America,  India,  and  Australia.  Probably 
this  little  gathering  was  one  of  the  works  Davies  Giddy, 
or  Gilbert,  least  valued  of  his  many  productions,  but  it 
has  been  the  most  enduring,  and  will  be  deathless  so 
long  as  English  voices  carol. 

Contemporary  with  Davies  Giddy,  but  of  older 
standing  in  the  college,  was  that  strange  man  Dr. 
Thomas  Beddoes,  lecturer  on  chemistry,  whose  head 
was  turned  by  fanatical  republicanism,  and  who  was 
an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  French  Revolution,  and 
prepared  to  condone  the  horrors  of  the  Reign  of  Terror. 
This  was  too  much  for  most  of  Beddoes'  friends,  who 
fell  away  from  him,  but  Davies  Giddy,  though  in 
politics  standing  at  the  other  pole,  appreciated  the 
great  abilities  of  the  doctor,  shrugged  his  shoulders  at 
his  political  opinions,  and  refrained  from  absolutely 
breaking  off  all  intercourse  with  him,  even  when  Beddoes 
was  obliged  to  resign  the  professorship  he  held  at  the 
University. 

Beddoes,  on  leaving  Oxford,  set  up  a  pneumatic 
institution  at  Clifton,  near  Bristol,  for  the  cure  of  con- 
sumption, by  pumping  air  into  the  lungs  of  those 
afflicted  with  phthisis.  This  was  a  great  discovery, 
which  was  to  sweep  this  scourge  out  of  England.  The 
pneumatic  bellows  worked  night  and  day,  and  the 
patients  gasped,  inhaled  and  spurted  the  air  back 
through  their  nostrils,  till  the  arms  of  the  bellows- 
workers  ached,  but,  alas  for  suffering  mankind,  the 
pneumatic  process  proved  a  dead  failure. 

Davies  Giddy  after  leaving  Oxford  went  to  a  surgeon, 
Bingham    Borlase,    at    Penzance,  to   prepare    for    the 


ATI  E  3      ^^     mLBiijir  m  4 

From  the  collection  of  Mrs.  Lewis  Lane 


I 


DAVIES   GILBERT  677 

medical  profession,  intending  after  a  stay  with  Borlase 
to  complete  his  education  at  the  Medical  School  of 
Edinburgh.  With  Dr.  Borlase  was  a  lad,  Humphry- 
Davy,  who  had  been  articled  to  him  in  1793,  when 
little  more  than  fourteen  years  old.  He  was  a  youth 
of  active  frame,  and  with  a  bright,  intelligent  face,  with 
wavy  brown  hair,  and  eyes  "tremulous  with  light." 
Not  only  was  Davy  a  keen  fisherman,  but  he  was 
enthusiastic  as  a  chemist ;  but  he  had  no  particular 
desire  to  spend  his  life  as  a  Sangrado  in  Penzance. 
Davies  Giddy  speedily  recognized  the  flashes  of  genius 
in  the  lad,  and  recommended  him  to  go  to  the  pump- 
house  of  Dr.  Beddoes  as  an  assistant  at  a  modest 
salary.  As  Beddoes  experimented  with  various  gases 
on  his  unfortunate  patients  there  was  at  all  events 
an  element  of  novelty  in  the  venture.  Mr.  Giddy 
abandoned  his  intention  of  entering  the  medical  pro- 
fession, and,  having  a  sufficient  income  to  support 
himself,  he  devoted  his  whole  time  to  scientific  work, 
and  became  well  known  as  a  geologist  and  botanist, 
and  he  associated  with  all  the  literary  and  scientific 
men  of  his  native  duchy. 

The  introduction  of  Watt's  improvement  in  the 
steam-engine  into  the  Cornish  mines  and  the  disputes 
between  that  great  mechanical  inventor  and  Jonathan 
Hornblower,  of  Penryn,  as  to  the  economy  and  mode 
of  applying  the  principle  of  working  steam  expansively, 
early  attracted  the  attention  of  Davies  Giddy,  and 
Hornblower  had  frequent  recourse  to  him,  as  a  mathe- 
matician, to  work  out  his  calculations  for  him,  and  to 
advise  as  to  his  experiments,  and  approve  or  criticize 
his  inventions.  Trevithick  also  had  recourse  constantly 
for  the  same  purpose  to  Mr.  Giddy,  and  the  latter  was 
solicited  by  the  county  to  take  an  active  part  in  deter- 
mining the  advantages  of  Watt's  engines  ;  and  in  con- 


678  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

junction  with  Captain  W.  Jenkin,  of  Treworgie,  he 
made  a  survey  of  all  the  steam-engines  then  working 
in  Cornwall. 

One  of  the  most  laborious  and  practically  useful 
works  of  Giddy  was  a  treatise  on  the  properties  of  the 
Catenary  Curve.  This  fine  example  of  mathematical 
investigation  was  published  whilst  Telford  was  prepar- 
ing materials  for  the  Menai  Straits  Bridge  ;  and  Telford 
was  so  convinced  by  Mr.  Giddy's  tract,  that  he  altered 
the  construction  of  the  bridge  in  accordance  with  what 
Giddy  had  laid  down,  causing  the  suspension  chains, 
which  had  already  been  completed,  to  be  again  taken 
in  hand  and  lengthened  by  about  thirty-six  feet. 

In  1804  Giddy  was  elected  into  Parliament  as  repre- 
sentative of  that  rotten  borough  Helston,  but  at  the 
next  election,  in  1806,  he  was  returned  for  Bodmin, 
and  continued  its  member  till  the  Reform  Bill  abolished 
these  nests  of  corruption.  In  Parliament  he  was  rarely 
heard  to  speak,  but  his  judgment  was  always  valued 
there,  and  had  great  influence  on  questions  of  a  practical 
nature. 

In  181 1,  when  the  high  price  of  gold  produced  an 
ominous  effect  on  the  currency  of  the  realm,  and  when 
the  public  mind  became  greatly  agitated  by  the  de- 
preciation of  bank  notes,  Davies  Giddy  published  A 
Plain  Statement  of  the  Bullion  Question^  with  the  object 
of  allaying  the  public  ferment.  Against  great  opposi- 
tion he  carried  an  extra  twelve  feet  in  width  to  the 
design  for  rebuilding  London  Bridge. 

In  1808  he  married  Mary  Ann  Gilbert,  an  heiress,  of 
Eastbourne,  in  Sussex,  whose  family  name  he  afterwards 
assumed,  on  account  of  the  hereditary  estates  to  which 
he  became  entitled  through  this  marriage. 

This  lady  was  of  a  strong,  determined  character.  On 
one  occasion   when   riding  she  was  thrown,  and  dis- 


DAVIES   GILBERT  679 

located  her  shoulder.  Laying  hold  of  her  hunting- 
crop  with  both  hands,  she  threw  herself  back  and  so 
brought  the  joint  back  into  its  place. 

Once  she  had  a  dispute  with  some  farmers,  who 
would  not  continue  their  farms  without  a  great  reduction 
of  rent.  "Very  well,"  said  she;  "then  I  will  farm 
them  myself."  And  she  did  so,  and  made  them  pay. 
She  was  the  first  in  England  to  introduce  the  allotment 
system  on  a  farm  of  hers  at  Eastbourne,  Sussex.  The 
marriage  was  due  to  Mr.  Giddy  meeting  her  when  she 
was  staying  with  her  mother  on  a  visit  to  Mr.  Fry  at 
Penzance. 

She  was  a  handsome  woman,  with  a  determined  face, 
and  she  suited  her  husband  admirably,  for  she  was 
interested  in  many  of  the  subjects  that  he  took  up. 
She  was  an  authoress,  moreover — she  wrote  upon 
"Tanks,"  "On  an  Improved  Mode  of  Forming  Water 
Tanks,"  "On  the  Construction  of  Tanks,"  in  1836, 
1838,  and  1840.  Also  ' ' On  the  Self-supporting  Reading, 
Writing,  and  Agricultural  School  at  Willingdon,  in 
Sussex,"  1842. 

On  the  death  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks  the  unanimous 
voice  of  the  Royal  Society  called  Sir  Humphry  Davy 
to  the  chair,  and  at  the  same  time  Davies  Gilbert — as 
he  now  was — was  nominated  Treasurer  under  the  man 
whom  he  had  first  helped  to  start  in  his  career.  Ill- 
health  having  obliged  Sir  Humphry  Davy  to  quit 
England  in  the  early  part  of  1827,  Mr.  Gilbert  occupied 
the  chair  as  Vice-President,  and  when  finally  Sir 
Humphry  retired  in  the  same  year  he  was  chosen 
President. 

At  that  time  a  President  was  elected  for  life,  but 
Davies  Gilbert  considered  this  to  be  unadvisable,  and 
urged  that  the  election  should  be  for  a  term  only  ;  and 
his  recommendation  was  accepted  after  a  few  years, 


68o  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

when  the  presidency  was  required  for  the  Duke  of 
Sussex  ;  thereupon  it  was  hinted  to  him  that  he  should 
act  upon  his  expressed  opinion  and  leave  the  chair  for 
His  Royal  Highness.     This  he  did  without  reluctance. 

On  his  wife's  estate  in  Sussex  he  introduced  the 
Cornish  stiles,  of  gridiron  fashion — strips  of  stone  laid 
down  with  an  interval  between  each — and  this  prevents 
horses,  donkeys,  and  cattle  from  adventuring  to  cross 
them.  But  the  Sussex  people  on  the  Eastbourne  estate 
revolted,  and  declared  that  they  would  not  break  their 
legs  to  please  any  Cornish  Giddy  or  Sussex  Gilbert, 
and  he  was  constrained  to  remove  them  all. 

He  was  a  man  of  a  versatile  mind.  He  published, 
with  a  translation  by  J.  Keigwin  and  W.  Jordan,  the 
early  Cornish  mystery  plays  of  Mount  Calvary  and  the 
Creation  of  the  World. 

He  also  undertook  a  Parochial  History  of  Cornwall, 
giving  first  Hals'  account  from  his  MS.,  now  in  the 
British  Museum,  with  additions  from  Tonkin,  and  a 
geological  account  of  each  parish  by  Dr.  Boase,  of  no 
great  value,  and  his  own  additions.  This  was  published 
in  five  volumes  in  1838. 

He  wrote  also  on  steam-engines,  on  the  employment 
of  sea  salt  as  a  manure,  on  the  improvement  of  wheels 
and  springs  for  carriages,  on  the  Eikon  Bastlike.  He 
translated  the  Liturgy  into  Greek.  Chambers  in  his 
Journal,  Vol.  H,  1844,  has  an  account  of  the  improve- 
ments effected  on  his  wife's  estate  at  Eastbourne. 

When  Lieutenant  Goldsmith  upset  the  Logan  Rock 
he  got  the  use  of  timber  and  ropes  granted  for  the 
work  of  replacing  the  stone,  and  had  the  loan  of  the 
same  also  to  replace  the  coverstone  of  Lanyon  Quoit. 

Lord  Sidmouth  offered  him  the  position  of  Under- 
Secretary  of  State,  but  he  declined  the  offer. 
About  a  year  before  his  death  Davies  Gilbert  entered 


DAVIES   GILBERT  68i 

in  his  notebook:  **  Slept  in  a  house  for  the  first  time 
on  my  own  property."  This  was  a  house  in  East  Looe 
bequeathed  to  him  by  Thomas  Bond,  who  had  written 
the  History  of  Looe,  and  who  died  unmarried  and  with- 
out near  relatives. 

Davies  Gilbert  died  at  Eastbourne  on  Christmas  Eve, 
1839,  as  the  carollers,  for  whom  he  had  done  so  much, 
were  going  round  in  the  dark  under  the  stars  singing — 

Noel,  Noel,  the  angel  did  say, 

Unto  these  poor  shepherds  in  the  fields  as  they  lay. 


JAMES    HOSKIN,    FARMER 

CASTELL-AN-DINAS  was  the  most  com- 
plete and  perfect  relic  of  prehistoric  times 
existing  in  Cornwall,  till  a  Mr.  Rogers,  of 
Penrose,  took  it  into  his  head  to  erect  a 
tower  on  the  summit,  that  was  neither  useful  nor 
beautiful,  and  to  obtain  material  the  walls  of  the  fort 
were  pulled  about  and  pillaged.  It  is  still  an  interesting 
specimen  of  a  hill  fortress,  notwithstanding  the  mischief 
wrought  by  the  builder  of  the  tower. 

On  the  side  of  the  swelling  hill  crowned  by  the  old 
fortress  is  a  small  walled  enclosure,  like  a  donkey- 
pound,  and  in  this  is  the  tomb  of  James  Hoskin,  a 
farmer,  who  desired  that  he  might  not  be  laid  in 
consecrated  ground.  He  was  buried  in  1823  at  the  age 
of  63.  He  was  baptized  at  Ludgvan  on  March  8th, 
1760,  and  was  the  son  of  James  Hoskin. 

There  are,  in  fact,  three  headstones  within  the  en- 
closure :  that  which  is  central  is  to  James  Hoskin  ;  on 
the  left  is  one  to  his  eldest  son,  who  died  in  181 2,  aged 
20,  and  above  it  is  the  inscription,  "  Custom  is  the  idol 
of  Fools  "  ;  on  the  right  is  one  to  a  married  daughter 
and  her  child,  also  in  1812,  the  mother  aged  22  and  the 
daughter  7,  probably  months,  not  years,  in  this  latter 
case.  Above  this  headstone  is  the  inscription  :  ''Virtue 
only  consecrates  the  ground."  But  although  there  be 
these  three  memorial  stones,  only  James  Hoskin,  the 
father,  aged  63,  lies  here. 

What  caused  James  Hoskin  to  desire  to  be  interred 

682 


JAMES    HOSKIN,    FARMER  683 

on  the  moor  away  from  consecrated  ground  ?  Tradition 
in  Ludgvan  says  that  he  kissed  the  parson's  wife,  and 
the  rector,  furious  at  the  insult  —  his  name  was  J. 
Stephens— vowed  that  if  he  survived  Hoskin  he  would 
bury  him  in  the  most  obscure  corner  of  the  graveyard 
on  the  north  side  of  the  church.  So  in  order  to  defeat 
the  parson's  intentions,  he  made  provision  for  his  body 
to  be  buried  at  Castell-an-Dinas.  Whether  this  be 
true  or  not  I  cannot  say,  but  certain  it  is  that  there 
was  a  lasting  difference  between  J.  Hoskin  and  the 
Rev.  J.  Stephens. 

The  Hoskin  family  lived  in  a  farm,  Treassow, 
Castell-an-Dinas,  the  original  seat  of  the  Rogers  Family 
from  before  1633.  Sold  by  Captain  J.  P.  Rogers 
recently. 

His  was  a  small  yeoman  family  in  very  fair  circum- 
stances. James  Hoskin  had  two  sons  who  lived,  besides 
John,  the  eldest,  who  died  young.  These  were  John 
William  and  Richard  Vinnicombe.  This  last  went 
as  a  clerk  to  Jamaica  to  Sir  Rose  Price.  His  grand- 
sons are  now  living  in  Ludgvan.  According  to  some 
poor  inflated  verses,  written  by  a  Miss  Lean,  of  Ludg- 
van, in  1803,  addressed  to  James  Hoskin,  he  made  the 
farm  on  the  slope  of  Castell-an-Dinas,  from  which 
height,  she  says — 

.   .   .   Barren  places  are  thence  descryed, 
But  none  more  barren  than  its  own  rough  side, 
Till  Hoskin  rose,  a  man  of  birth  obscure. 
Heir  to  no  wealth,  and  forced  by  fate  to  endure 
The  toils  of  humble  life,  till  innate  worth 
And  active  fancy  drew  his  talents  forth. 
On  Castle  Downs  his  fertile  mind  he  cast. 
And  soon  by  industry  did  improve  its  waste. 
The  starving  poor  who  knew  not  where  to  gain 
The  scanty  pittance  that  should  life  sustain, 
Employed  bj'  him,  and  by  his  bounty  fed, 
They  had  the  honest  means  to  earn  their  bread  ; 
Nor  stayed  the  hireling's  wages  in  his  hand, 
But  weekly  each  his  stipend  might  command. 


684  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Some  pick  the  stones,  some  cut  the  turf,  and  some 
Dig-  from  the  pit  the  builders'  useful  loam. 
The  straw-thatched  cottage  rises  from  the  ground. 
And  the  strong-  stone  enclosure  spreadeth  round. 
And  now  where  moss-g-rown  rocks  and  heath  did  rise, 
Green  meads  and  beauteous  cornfields  greet  the  eyes. 
The  lowing  herds  and  fleecy  bleating  flocks 
That  crop'd  the  scanty  herbage  round  the  rocks, 
Now  ruminating-  stand  and  seem  to  say, 
May  Heaven's  best  g-ift  our  benefactor  pay. 
The  Master  sees,  well  pleased,  and  smiles  to  see 
The  honest  fruits  of  live  industry. 

The  "  poem  "  concludes  with  invocations  of  blessings 
on  the  head  of  Mr.  Hoskin— 

Longf,  very  long-  may  he  survive  to  see 

The  distant  fruits  of  his  industry  ; 

And  may  Almig-hty  power  to  him  dispense 

Earth's  greatest  bliss — Health,  Peace,  and  Competence. 

Having  heard  of  the  prosperity  of  those  who  had 
settled  in  America,  he  resolved  on  going  thither  and 
seeing  the  condition  of  the  farmers  in  the  States  and 
the  quality  of  the  land,  so  that  he  might  be  able  to 
advise  others  whether  to  leave  the  mother  country  and 
settle  there,  and  with  half  a  mind  himself  to  cast  in  his 
lot  with  those  who  were  farming  there.  On  his  return 
he  printed,  but  did  not  publish,  his  experience  and  his 
observations.  He  printed  for  his  own  use,  and  kept  a 
very  few  copies  for  distribution  among  his  relations 
and  friends.  Through  the  kindness  of  the  Rev.  A.  C. 
Boscawen,  Rector  of  Ludgvan,  I  have  been  afforded  a 
sight  of  his  Narrative.  It  is  interesting  as  affording  a 
picture  of  the  condition  of  the  States  and  the  farming 
there  a  century  ago.  The  "Narrative"  was  printed 
by  Vigurs,  of  Penzance,  "  for  the  Author  "  in  1813.  In 
his  preface,  he  says  : — 

"  I  am  well  aware  that  in  the  composition  there  may 
be  much  room  for  criticism  ;  to  this  I  answer,  I  have 


JAMES    HOSKIN,    FARMER  685 

neither  the  wish  nor  qualification  to  become  an  author, 
I  need  only  say  I  am  a  farmer.  This  carries  its 
apology  with  it,  for  the  book  contains  plain  facts  on 
agricultural  subjects,  which  I  affirm  are  nearly,  if  not 
perfectly,  correct.  [I  have  written  nothing  designedly 
false.]  The  passage  within  brackets  he  cancelled  with 
his  own  hand  after  the  book  was  printed. 

"  I  sailed  from  Penzance  on  the  28th  of  December, 
1810,  on  board  an  American  schooner  called  the  Packet 
of  Boston^  bound  for  New  York  with  a  cargo  of  iron, 
boxes  of  tin-plate,  etc.  On  leaving  the  quay  the  sea- 
men of  a  brig  gave  us  three  cheers,  which  we  returned. 
Soon  a  number  of  people  on  the  quay  gave  us  three 
more.  I  asked  the  men,  was  it  customary  on  sailing? 
Tjiey  said  they  had  been  on  the  pier  two  months,  but 
never  saw  it  done  before.  So  much  for  cordiality 
towards  the  Americans." 

Blood  is  thicker  than  water.  This  is  interesting.  It 
shows  that  even  then,  after  the  States  had  declared 
their  independence,  and  only  two  years  before  war  was 
declared  between  England  and  the  States,  the  feeling, 
at  all  events  in  Cornwall,  was  one  of  affection  and 
regard  for  the  gallant  people  who  had  been  driven  by 
stupidity  into  revolt  against  the  Crown. 

After  a  very  rough  passage,  on  the  14th  February, 
181 1,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  the  little  vessel  reached 
Vineyard  Island.  ''We  soon  landed,  and  put  up  at 
Dr.  Spalding's  tavern,  a  handsome  house,  with  good 
entertainment  and  accommodation.  Our  host  was  a 
doctor,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  a  tavern  keeper,  but  quite 
the  gentleman.  The  family  at  meal  times  sat  down 
with  us — this  is  the  American  fashion.  With  our  tea 
we  had  plenty  of  beefsteaks,  boiled  eggs,  preserved  fruit, 
hot  cakes,  etc.  This  is  customary  all  over  America. 
We   paid   a   dollar    per   day   (bed    included),    but  all 


686  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

through  America  we  saw  nothing  of  those  pests  of 
beggars,  waiters,  chambermaids,  coachmen,  postboys, 
etc.,  which  constantly  harass  and  frequently  insult  the 
traveller  in  England." 

On  reaching  New  York  he  got  into  trouble  with  his 
captain,  who  was  "slim,"  and  tried  to  take  advantage 
of  him.  "  I  was  detained  three  weeks  by  the  captain  I 
came  over  with  from  England.  I  bought  at  Penzance 
some  earthenware  to  carry  out.  On  the  passage  I  sold 
the  whole  to  the  captain,  and  had  a  written  agreement 
from  him  to  pay  me  on  arriving  at  New  York.  At  first 
he  put  off  the  payment  for  want  of  money,  so  on  one 
pretence  or  another  until  he  began  to  unload  the  vessel, 
and  then  he  told  me  that  he  had  given  me  no  bill  of 
lading  to  show  the  goods  were  mine,  and  that  I  could 
not  prove  them  mine.  Indeed  he  did  everything  in  his 
power  to  plunder  me  of  the  whole.  I  then  went  to  the 
merchant  to  whom  the  cargo  was  consigned.  He  was 
much  hurt  at  the  captain's  conduct  in  attempting  to 
defraud  me,  and  wrote  him  a  letter  immediately.  The 
next  day  the  merchant  called  on  me,  and  told  me  if  the 
captain  did  not  pay  me  in  half  an  hour  to  acquaint  him, 
but  before  the  half-hour  was  expired  the  captain  was 
come  with  the  money." 

From  New  York  Hoskin  sailed  in  the  William  Eaton 
schooner  for  Alexandria  and  Washington. 

"The  captain  (being  intoxicated)  would  have  the 
cook  to  kill  and  pick  a  fowl  and  dress  it  in  an  instant 
(the  cook  was  an  old  man,  a  negro).  The  poor  man 
set  about  it  with  all  speed,  but  in  the  boiling  the 
captain  found  fault,  caught  up  the  hot  fowl  and  beat 
it  in  the  cook's  face.  The  captain  confessed  that  he 
had  sprung  six  feet  high,  and  thought  he  should  have 
fallen  overboard.  The  captain  scalded  his  three  fingers, 
etc.      Two  days  after  he  was  full   of  spite  and  ven- 


JAMES    HOSKIN,    FARMER  687 

geance  towards  the  poor  old  black  man.     '  D the 

negroes,'  said  he,  '  I  hate  them,'  and  going  on  deck 
beat  the  poor  man  dreadfully  with  pieces  of  trees  cut  to 
burn,  some  time  after  with  a  rope,  and  after  that  with 
a  fire-shovel.  The  poor  man  was  very  bad  all  night. 
I  expected  he  would  have  died  before  morning.  Next 
morning  in  that  condition  he  would  make  him  work. 
I  said,  '  Captain,  I  will  attend  breakfast ;  I  can  do  it 
better  than  he.'  So  I  kept  him  out  of  the  way.  In  the 
afternoon  the  captain  would  make  the  poor  creature 
come  on  deck.  '  Shall  I  pay  him  wages  for  nothing?' 
says  he.  I  told  him  that  the  cook  could  do  nothing, 
but  that  I  could  do  much  better,  and  that  I  would  work 
for  him.  In  three  hours  after  word  was  brought  to  him 
that  the  cook  was  dying.  After  he  was  dead,  the  cap- 
tain came  to  me  and  asked  what  I  thought  was  the 
cause  of  his  death,  which  I  turned  off." 

James  Hoskin  excuses  himself  for  not  trying  to  bring 
the  captain  to  justice.  His  reasons  are  not  very  satis- 
factory. First,  "it  might  destroy  the  happiness  of  a 
dear  woman,  his  wife."  In  the  next  place,  the  mate 
would  have  sworn  in  the  captain's  favour  ;  and,  finally, 
by  accusing  the  captain  he  would  have  done  no  good 
to  the  dead  cook. 

On  ascending  the  Potomac  he  was  put  ashore  for  a 
while. 

"  I  asked  at  the  hut  of  a  white  woman  for  some 
water.  I  shall,  while  I  live,  never  forget  this  hut.  The 
outside  was  like  a  stable,  built  of  logs,  having  no  glass 
windows.  She  brought  me  a  bowl  of  milk,  a  china 
pint  to  mix  water  with  it.  The  water  stood  on  a  stool 
without  doors,  covered  nicely.  The  hut  and  everything 
within  were  in  such  neat  order.  This  milk  and  water 
was  as  a  cordial  of  wine.  I  contemplated  the  happi- 
ness of  the  farmers  in  this  place,  flowing  in  abundance 


688  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

of  the  first  necessaries  of  life  ;  their  wants  few  and 
easily  supplied  ;  no  cares  about  raising  money  for 
other  people,  all  being  peace,  plenty,  and  happiness 
around  them." 

He  ascended  the  Delaware  "  in  the  steem  [sic]  boat." 
The  boat  was  worked  by  a  steam-engine  "which  turns 
round  a  wheel  each  side  of  the  boat  in  the  water.  It 
has  wide  boards  to  the  end  of  each  spoke,  like  a  water 
under-shut  wheel.  The  boat  is  loo  feet  long,  wide  and 
roomy,  and  a  tavern  kept  on  board.  The  passage 
comes  very  cheap,  only  3  dollars  for  100  miles,  baggage 
included." 

He  tells  a  story  of  William  Cobbett  when  in 
America.  Cobbett  conducted  a  newspaper  entitled  the 
Pesca  Post  at  Philadelphia,  and  kept  a  stationer's  shop. 
He  was  very  outspoken  against  the  French  Revolution, 
and  that  did  not  please  the  Yankees.  One  day  some 
one  entered  the  stationer's  shop  and  asked  for  some 
quills.  Cobbett  sold  them.  *'  Ah,  ha  !  "  said  the  pur- 
chaser. ''These  be  porcupine  quills,  I  guess." 
''Porcupine  quills  they  were  till  I  sold  them  to  you," 
was  Cobbett's  ready  answer.  "Now  they  are  goose 
quills." 

"As  I  was  at  breakfast  one  day  on  Long  Island," 
says  Hoskin,  "there  came  in  a  young  woman.  'The 
English,'  said  she,  'have  pressed  my  brother  in  the 
Downs  ;  I  wish  I  could  guillotine  the  English,  I  wish 
the  English  were  guillotined.'  'But,'  says  one  in  the 
room,  'the  Christian  English  will  hang  a  man  for 
stealing  a  horse,  or  stealing  a  sheep  ;  but  for  stealing  a 
man  they  shall  have  money.'"  Hoskin  was  too  dis- 
creet to  bring  up  the  case  of  the  negro  slaves  and  of  the 
captain  and  the  cook.  He  saw  the  first  attempt  at  a 
torpedo.  A  Mr.  Fulton  had  invented  one  "for  the 
purpose  of  sinking  it  under  vessels  at  anchor  and  blow- 


JAMES    HOSKIN,    FARMER  689 

ing  them  up.  Likewise  to  anchor  under  water  and 
blow  up  ships  coming  in  a  harbour.  The  Congress 
has  voted  him  6000  dollars  to  defray  the  expenses  for 
making  trials,  etc.  Some  time  back  a  day  was  fixed  for 
trial  at  New  York,  the  President  a  frigate  of  44  guns, 
and  the  Argus  brig  of  war  lay  there  ;  Mr.  Fulton  chose 
to  attack  the  brig,  the  captain  of  which  prepared  for 
defence  by  casting  a  net  round  the  brig  to  prevent  the 
torpedo  diving  under,  and  by  hanging  shot  and  heavy 
weights  to  the  yards  and  studding  sail-booms,  to  destroy 
the  torpedo  if  it  came  near  ;  but  Mr.  Fulton  could  not 
succeed  at  that  time  ;  he  says  he  has  made  vast  improve- 
ments since,  and  shall  succeed.  This  Fulton  has  a 
patent  for  the  steamboats  on  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Rivers.  They  go  five  miles  an  hour  against  wind  and 
tide." 

On  his  return  to  England  he  had  a  better  passage 
than  on  going  out.  "Then  chiefly  three  or  four  days 
in  a  week  it  blew  what  the  sailors  call  a  gale.  In  the 
gale  of  last  week  we  sailed  before  the  wind,  and  the 
ship  rolled  much  more  then  than  if  it  was  a  side  wind. 
We  laughed  at  supper,  though  tossed  about.  We  had 
cords  and  bars  spread  over  the  table,  which  was  bound 
fast  to  keep  the  things  on  it ;  one  held  the  teapot,  and 
the  mate  was  desired  to  bind  the  tea-kettle  with  a 
string  to  the  side  of  the  cabin.  This  put  me  in  mind 
of  last  winter's  passage.  The  cook  would  be  called  an 
hour  or  two  before  day  to  light  his  fire,  and  get  his 
kettle  under  way,  as  the  phrase  is  on  board  ;  by  and  by 
we  should  hear  the  cook  on  deck  crying  and  swearing, 
the  sea  breaking  over  having  upset  the  tea-kettle — the 
fire  is  again  lit,  and  the  tea-kettle  set  on  again.  Soon 
we  hear  the  cook  in  the  like  distress,  and  swearing  he 
would  rather  go  before  the  mast  than  be  cook,  and  so 
on.     Three  times  of  a  morning,  one  day,  one  of  the 

2   Y 


690  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

tea-kettles  went  overboard  ;  and  some  days  we  could 
only  light  fire  in  the  cabin  stove,  and  were  obliged  to 
boil  beef  in  the  tea-kettle." 

In  London,  in  January,  1803,  he  had  fallen  ill,  and 
thought  he  had  not  long  to  live.  This  was  seven  years 
before  he  visited  the  States,  and  he  then  addressed  the 
following  letter  to  his  children  : — 

^^  London,  /anna /y  13//?,  1803. 

"  My  dear  Children  all  and  each, 

"  For  the  last  three  days  I  have  found  my  illness 
so  to  increase,  and  I  am  so  exceedingly  ill  at  this  time, 
that  I  believe  it  is  the  Lord's  good  pleasure  that  I  shall 
never  see  your  dear  faces  again.  The  God  of  heaven 
take  you  under  His  precious,  His  most  special  protec- 
tion and  care.  Fear  it  not  my  dear  sweet  loves,  but 
that  good  and  holy  Lord  of  life  and  glory  will  be  to 
you  what  He  has  always  been  to  me — a  father.  When 
I  was  about  six  years  old,  His  good  pleasure  was  to  take 
my  mother.  With  her  I  lost  I  may  say  my  father, 
mother  and  all.  But  I  had  a  Father  in  heaven,  Who 
blessed,  watched,  and  protected  me.  If  you  would  be 
wise,  seek  true  happiness.  If  you  would  be  happy, 
rich  and  wise,  be  truly  virtuous  in  word,  action,  and,  as 
much  as  possible,  in  thought. 

Seek  virtue,  and  of  that  possessed 
Leave  to  Providence  the  rest. 

"  If  you  will  tell  a  lie,  you  will  tell  another;  if  you 
tell  two,  you  will  go  on  further  and  tell  ten,  and  so  on, 
to  lying  on  any  occasion.  If  you  lie,  you  will  cheat, 
when  occasion  offers  you,  and  so  on  to  other  vices. 
With  the  loss  of  a  virtuous  disposition  of  mind,  you 
will  lose  your  peace,  troubles  will  come  upon  you,  one 
after  another ;  you  will  endeavour  to  shun  them,  but 


JAMES    HOSKIN,    FARMER  691 

they  will  overtake  you.  Let  the  words  of  an  affection- 
ate and  perhaps  dying  father,  sink  deep  into  your 
hearts  every  time  you  read  them. 

"  If  you  should  fall  in  love  with  those  true  Christians, 
called  Quakers,  how  much,  I  think,  would  it,  by  God's 
blessing  (of  which  you  need  not  fear)  and  their  friendly 
aid  to  you,  advance  you  in  piety  and  virtue.  But 
beware  of  Methodists'  Class  Meetings.  Not  but  that 
there  are  many  among  them  who  are  patterns  of  religion; 
but  the  human  heart  being,  as  it  has  been  truly  said, 
'the  devil's  tinder-box,'  the  heart  falls  by  degrees  into 
some  favourite  sin,  and  falsehood  and  deceit  at  these 
meetings  are  sent  in  the  place  of  piety,  and  of  all  states 
this  is  the  most  dangerous  and  destructive  to  the  soul. 
May  the  Lord  of  His  goodness  bless  you,  protect  you, 
be  your  guide  througti  life,  and  in  death  receive  you  to 
Himself  is  the  prayer  of 

''Your  father,  James  Hoskin." 
Happily  he  recovered  and  lived  on  for  many  years. 


JOHN    HARRIS,   THE    MINER    POET 

'*  ^^""^V    N  the  quiet  evening  of  October  14th,  1820, 

m  ■    in  a  straw-thatched,  boulder-built  cottage, 

^         m    with   bare  rafters  and  clay  floor,  locally 

^' — ^     known  as  the  'six  chimneys,'  on  the  top 

of  Bolennowe  Hill,  Camborne,  Cornwall,  as  the  leaves 

are  falling  from  the  trees,  and  the  robin  mourns  in  the 

thicket,   a  gentle   mother  gives  birth  to  a  babe  ;  and 

that  baby-boy  is  a  poet." 

So  John  Harris  begins  his  account  of  his  own  life. 
It  is  not  always  safe  for  a  composer  of  verses  to  be 
too  sure  that  he  is  a  poet,  and  that  his  lines  will  live. 
Horace  did  it,^  so  doubtless  has  many  another  man 
who  has  hammered  out  verses  ;  but  only  Horace  was 
justified  in  his  prophecy. 

A  plum-pudding  without  plums  may  be  a  good  suet 
dumpling,  and  without  suet  also  a  respectable  batter 
pudding,  but  neither  is  a  plum-pudding  ;  and  a  set  of 
verses  without  ideas  may  be  pleasant  verses,  but  is  not 
poetry  ;  and  without  ideas  and  without  imagination  is 
very  poor  stuff  indeed.  John  Harris  could  write 
smooth  lines,  he  had  a  tender  appreciation  of  the 
beauties  of  nature,  but  he  went  no  further.  His 
verses  bear  the  same  relation  to  poetry  that  Tupper's 
Proverbial  Philosophy  bears  to  the  Philosophy  of  Plato. 
But  to  return  to  his  life.  He  tells  us  that  **from  first 
to  last  the  majority  of  my  poems  have  been  written  in 

1   Od.  I,  I  ;  II,  20. 

692 


JOHN    HARRIS,    THE    MINER    POET 


JOHN    HARRIS,    THE    MINER    POET     693 

the  open  air,  in  lanes  and  leas,  by  old  stiles  and  farm 
gates,  by  rocks  and  rivers  and  mossy  moors." 

He  was  put  to  a  miserable  school  where  the  hedge- 
school  master  was  hard-hearted  and  cruel,  and  "verily 
hoots  the  lessons  in  his  ears.  He  beats  his  pupils 
without  mercy,  with  a  polished  piece  of  flat  wood 
studded  with  small,  sharp  nails,  until  the  blood  runs 
down,  and  soon  scares  the  little  learner  from  his  straw- 
roofed  academy." 

From  this  school  he  was  removed  to  another  after  a 
few  days.  "  On  the  edge  of  a  brown  common,  in  a  little 
thatched  school-house  by  the  side  of  the  highway, 
very  near  the  famous  Nine  Maidens,  he  finds  another 
master,  who  wore  a  wooden  leg,  with  more  of  the  milk 
of  human  kindness  in  his  soul,  a  thorough  Christian, 
and  a  man  of  prayer."  He  says  further:  '*  You  might 
have  seen  him  on  a  summer  evening,  when  his  merry 
schoolmates  are  chattering  in  the  hollow — you  might 
have  seen  him  walking  by  the  stream,  or  stretched  on 
the  moss  listening  to  the  wind  tuning  its  organ  among 
the  rocks,  or  gazing  up  at  the  purple  heavens.  He 
roams  among  the  flowers,  kissing  them  for  very  joy, 
calling  them  his  fragrant  sisters.  Born  on  the  crest  of 
the  hill,  amid  the  crags  and  storms,  he  grows  up  in  love 
with  Nature,  and  she  becomes  his  chief  teacher.  And 
now  come  the  promptings  of  early  genius,  which 
develop  themselves  in  snatches  of  unpolished  song, 
pencilled  on  the  leaves  of  his  copybook  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  his  wondering  schoolmates.  He  often  writes 
his  rhymes  on  the  clean  side  of  cast-off  labelled  tea- 
papers  which  his  mother  brings  from  the  shop,  and 
then  reads  them  to  his  astonished  compeers  with  rapt 
delight." 

At  the  age  of  nine  he  was  taken  from  school  and  put 
to  work  in  the  fields.     At  the  age  of  ten  he  was  em- 


694  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ployed  by  an  old  tin-streamer  to  throw  up  the  sand 
from  the  river,  earning  threepence  a  day.  At  twelve 
he  was  working  on  the  surface  ''nearly  three  miles 
from  his  favourite  home.  As  he  travels  to  and  fro  from 
his  labour  through  long  lanes  bramble  covered,  and 
over  meadows  snowy  with  daisies,  or  by  hedges  blue 
with  hyacinths,  or  over  whispering  cairns  redolent  with 
the  hum  of  bees — "  he  means  thyme  on  which  the  bees 
hover  gathering  honey — "the  beautiful  world  around 
him  teems  with  syllables  of  song.  Even  then  he 
pencils  his  strange  ditties,  reciting  them  at  intervals  of 
leisure  to  the  dwellers  of  his  own  district,  and  older 
heads  than  his  tell  of  his  future  fame." 

One  thing  is  evident,  that  at  this  early  age  he  was 
inordinately  conceited.  He  had  a  true  appreciation  of 
the  beauties  of  Nature.  He  had  a  receptive  soul,  but 
it  was  that  which  might  have  made  of  him  a  painter, 
not  necessarily  a  poet. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen,  or  as  he  styles  it,  "When 
thirteen  summers  have  filled  his  lap  with  roses,  and 
fanned  his  forehead  with  the  breeze  of  health,  we  find 
him  sweating  in  the  hot  air  of  the  interior  of  a  mine 
(Dolcoath),  working  with  his  father  nearly  two  hundred 
fathoms  below  the  green  fields." 

So  time  passes,  and  he  grows  to  manhood.  Then  in 
his  stilted  style  he  says:  "Love  meets  him  on  his 
flowery  pathway,  and  he  weaves  a  chaplet  of  the 
choicest  roses  to  adorn  her  head.  He  worships  at  the 
shrine  of  beauty  till  they  stand  before  the  sacred  altar, 
and  the  two  are  made  one."  In  plain  English,  he  fell 
in  love  and  got  married  to  Jane  Rule. 

One  of  his  earliest  pieces  of  verse,  "The  First  Prim- 
rose," got  into  a  magazine,  and  attracted  some  little 
notice,  amongst  others  that  of  Dr.  George  Smith,  of 
Camborne,  who  gave  him  encouragement  and  induced 


JOHN    HARRIS,    THE    MINER   POET     695 

him  to  publish.  His  first  book  appeared  in  1853  ;  soon 
after  he  was  appointed  Scripture  Reader  at  Fahnouth. 

He  says  in  his  Autobiography:  "Soon  after  my 
marriage,  the  Rev.  G.  B.  Bull,  of  Treslothian,  lent 
me  a  volume  of  Shakespere.  The  first  play  I  read 
was  Romeo  and  Juliet^  which  I  greedily  devoured, 
travelling  over  a  wide  down  near  my  father's  house. 
The  delight  I  experienced  is  beyond  words  to  de- 
scribe, as  the  sun  sank  behind  the  western  waters, 
and  the  purple  clouds  of  evening  primed  the  horizon, 
the  bitters  of  life  changed  to  sweetness  in  my  cup,  and 
the  wilderness  around  me  was  a  region  of  fairies. 
Sometimes  I  cried,  sometimes  I  shouted  for  joy,  and 
over  the  genii-peopled  heights  a  new  world  burst  upon 
my  view."  Next  he  read  Childe  Harold,  or  portions 
of  it.  "My  younger  brother  James  possessed  an 
eighteenpenny  copy  of  Burns'  poems,  to  which  I  had 
access.  One  day,  I  was  reading  Burns  in  our  Troon- 
Moor  home.  No  one  can  tell  the  ecstacy  of  my  spirit, 
or  the  deep  joy  of  my  heart.  Not  only  was  I  tired  with 
my  mine-work,  but  also  crippled  in  the  quarry  raising 
stone  for  the  garden-wall.  I  believe  I  was  in  my  shirt- 
sleeves, when  a  middle-aged  matron  entered  my  home. 
Seeing  a  small  book  before  me,  she  asked  what  it  was. 
I  told  her,  and  her  answer  surely  displayed  her  pre- 
judice and  her  narrowness  of  mind.  Looking  at  me 
with  severity  in  her  features,  she  exclaimed,  '  You  ought 
to  be  ashamed  of  yourself!  You,  a  local  preacher,  and 
reading  Burns  ! '  This  strange  sin  put  me  quite 
beyond  the  reach  of  her  favours,  and  I  do  not  remem- 
ber her  ever  speaking  to  me  afterwards." 

It  is  an  infinite  pity  that  John  Harris  did  not  inspire 
his  muse  from  Burns;  had  he  done  so,  his  "poems" 
m  ght  possibly  have  lived,  but  po'eia  nascitiir,  non  fit. 

"For    more    than    twenty    years    I    was    an    under- 


696  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

ground  miner,  toiling  in  the  depths  of  Dolcoath.  Here 
I  laboured  from  morning  till  night,  and  often  from 
night  till  morning,  frequently  in  sulphur  and  dust 
almost  to  suffocation.  Sometimes  I  stood  in  slime  and 
water  above  my  knees,  and  then  in  levels  so  badly  ven- 
tilated that  the  very  stones  were  hot,  and  the  rarified 
air  caused  the  perspiration  to  stream  into  my  boots  in 
rills,  though  I  doffed  my  flannel  shirt  and  worked 
naked  to  the  waist.  Sometimes  I  stood  on  a  stage 
hung  in  ropes  in  the  middle  of  a  wide  working,  when 
my  life  depended  on  a  single  nail  driven  into  a  plank. 
Had  the  nail  slipped,  I  should  have  been  pitched  head- 
long on  the  broken  rocks  more  than  twenty  feet  below. 
Sometimes  I  stood  on  a  narrow  board  high  up  in  some 
dark  working,  holding  the  drill,  or  smiting  it  with  the 
mallet,  smeared  all  over  with  mineral,  so  that  my 
nearest  friends  would  hardly  know  me,  until  my  hands 
ached  with  the  severity  of  my  task,  and  the  blood 
dropped  off  my  elbows.  Sometimes  I  had  to  dig 
through  the  ground  where  it  was  impossible  to  stand 
upright,  and  sometimes  to  work  all  day  as  if  standing 
to  the  face  of  a  cliff.  Sometimes  I  have  been  so  ex- 
hausted as  to  lie  down  and  sleep  on  the  sharp  flints." 
(There  are  no  flints  in  Cornish  mines.)  *' And  some- 
times so  thirsty  that  I  have  drunk  stale  water  from  the 
keg,  closing  my  teeth  to  keep  back  the  worms.  Some- 
times I  had  wages  to  receive  at  the  end  of  the  month, 
and  sometimes  I  had  none.  But  I  despaired  not,  nor 
turned  the  nymph  of  song  from  my  side.  She  mur- 
mured among  the  tinctured  slabs,"  etc.  etc.  That 
the  water  brought  down  from  the  spring  for  the  use  of 
the  miners  was  ever  full  of  worms  is  not  to  be  believed, 
nor  that  he  did  not  receive  his  regular  monthly  wages. 
John  Harris  was  evidently  vastly  sorry  for  himself, 
thinking  he  was  born  for  better  things.     I  have  known 


JOHN    HARRIS,    THE    MINER   POET    697 

many  a  man  who  has  worked  underground  as  a  com- 
mon miner,  without  whining  and  breaking  into  extrava- 
gance such  as  this. 

"We  were  at  supper  one  evening  in  Troon-Moor 
house,  our  two  daughters  in  a  window,  I  at  the  end  of 
the  kitchen  table,  and  Jane  sitting  on  a  chair  beside  it. 
We  had  fried  onions,  and  the  flavour  was  very  agree- 
able. I  was  hungry,  having  just  returned  from  a  long 
day's  labour  in  the  mine.  Suddenly  we  heard  a  step 
in  the  garden,  and  then  a  knock  at  the  door.  My  wife 
opened  it,  and  I  heard  a  gruff  voice  say,  '  Does  the 
young  Milton  live  here  ? '  My  wife  asked  the  possessor 
of  the  gruff  voice  to  walk  in  ;  and  we  soon  discovered 
that  it  was  the  Rev.  G.  Collins.  We  invited  him  to 
partake  of  our  meal,  to  which  he  at  once  assented,  eat- 
ing the  onions  with  a  spoon,  exclaiming  at  almost 
every  mouthful,  '  I  like  fried  leeks.'  He  asked  for  my 
latest  production,  and  I  gave  him  '  The  Child's  First 
Prayer,'  in  MS.  He  quietly  read  it,  and  before  he  had 
finished  I  could  see  the  tears  streaming  down  his  face. 
Besides  the  two  daughters,  Jane  and  Lucretia,  already 
named,  we  were  afterwards  blest  with  two  sons, 
Howard  and  Alfred." 

I  have  given  this  passage  from  the  Autobiography  of 
John  Harris  with  pleasure,  as  it  exhibits  the  author  at 
his  best.  Whether  the  tears  may  not  have  been  an 
adjunct  of  his  fancy,  I  do  not  pretend  to  say.  When 
he  writes  simple  English,  concerning  his  own  life  and 
experiences,  he  is  always  interesting,  but  when  he 
steps  up  into  his  florid  car,  as  a  chauffeur  at  the  Battle 
of  Roses  at  Nice,  he  is  intolerable. 

"Throughout  my  mining  life  I  have  had  several 
narrow  escapes  from  sudden  death.  Once  when  at  the 
bottom  of  the  mine,  the  bucket-chains  suddenly  severed 
and   came   roaring    down    the    shaft   with   rocks   and 


698  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

rubbish.  I  and  my  comrade  had  scarcely  time  to 
escape  ;  and  one  of  the  smaller  fragments  of  stone 
cut  open  my  forehead,  leaving  a  visible  scar  to  this 
day.  Then  the  man-engine  accidentally  broke,  hurling 
twenty  men  headlong  into  the  pit,  and  I  amongst  them. 
A  few  scars  and  bruises  were  my  only  injuries.  Stand- 
ing before  a  tin-stepe  on  the  smallest  foothold,  a  thin 
piece  of  flint  (?),  air-impelled,  struck  me  on  the  face, 
cutting  my  lips  and  breaking  some  of  my  front  teeth. 
Had  I  fallen  backwards  among  the  huge  slabs "  (the 
rock  does  not  form  slabs)  "death  must  have  been  in- 
stantaneous. Passing  over  a  narrow  plank,  a  hole 
exploded  at  my  feet,  throwing  a  shower  of  stones 
around  me,  but  not  a  hair  of  my  head  was  injured." 

"A  more  wonderful  interposition  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence may  be  traced,  perhaps,  in  the  following  record. 
Our  party  consisted  of  five  men  working  in  a  sink. 
Two  of  them  were  my  younger  brothers.  Over  our 
heads  the  ground  was  expended,  and  there  was  a  huge 
cavern  higher  and  further  than  the  light  of  the  candle 
would  reveal.  Here  hung  huge  rocks  as  if  by  hairs  (!) 
and  we  knew  it  not.  We  were  all  teachers  in  a 
Sunday-school,  and  on  the  tea-and-cake  anniversary 
remained  out  of  our  working  to  attend  the  festival. 
Some  men  who  laboured  near  us,  at  the  time  when 
we  were  in  the  green  field  singing  hymns,  heard  a 
fearful  crash  in  our  working,  and  on  hastening  to  see 
what  it  was  found  the  place  full  of  flinty  (?)  rocks. 
They  had  suddenly  fallen  from  above,  exactly  in  the 
place  where  we  should  have  been,  and  would  have 
crushed  us  to  powder  were  it  not  for  the  Sunday- 
school  treat." 

Moving  in  his  little  circle,  surrounded  by  the 
ignorant,  it  is  no  wonder  that  John  Harris  was  puffed 
up  with  vanity,  and  thought  himself  a  poet. 


JOHN    HARRIS,   THE    MINER   POET    699 

He  was  very  urgent  in  the  promotion  of  the  cause 
of  peace  and  arbitration  between  nations,  and  wrote 
a  series  of  tracts  entitled  Peace  Pages^  of  which  some 
hundreds  of  thousands  were  distributed,  and  produced 
as  much  effect  on  the  policy  of  nations  as  waste  paper. 
In  the  year  1864  a  prize  was  offered  for  the  best  poem 
on  the  tercentenary  of  the  birth  of  Shakespeare.  It 
was  competed  for  by  over  a  hundred  persons  in  Great 
Britain  and  America.  Mr.  Harris  gained  the  prize, 
and  was  presented  with  a  gold  watch.  It  is  not 
possible  to  estimate  its  value,  poetically,  without  a 
knowledge  of  the  "poems"  that  failed,  and  the  dis- 
crimination of  the  judges.^  From  first  to  last  John 
Harris  published  no  less  than  sixteen  volumes  of  verse. 
He  died  in  1884,  and  was  buried  in  Treslothian  Church- 
yard, near  Camborne.  He  had  received  a  grant  of 
;^5o  per  annum  from  the  Royal  Literary  Fund,  1872-75, 
and  ;^200  from  the  Royal  Bounty  Fund  in  1877. 

He  had  a  son,  John  Alfred  Harris,  born  at  Falmouth 
in  i860,  who  became  a  wood  engraver,  working  in  a 
recumbent  position  owing  to  a  spinal  affliction.  He 
illustrated  some  of  his  father's  works.  Another  son, 
James  Howard  Harris,  born  in  1857,  became  master 
of  the  Board  School,  Porthleven,  and  wrote  a  memoir 
of  his  father. 

John  Harris  had  the  faculty  of  receiving  impressions 
from  the  objects  of  nature,  as  does  a  mirror,  but  had 
no  power  to  give  forth  flashes  of  genius,  for  of  genius 
he  had  none.  His  verses  read  smoothly  and  pleas- 
antly, but  will  not  live,  as  there  is  no  vital  spark  in 
them.  He  stands,  however,  on  a  higher  level  than 
Edward  Capern,  the  Devonshire  postman  "poet,"  but 
immeasurably  below  Burns  and  Waugh. 

He  published,  moreover,  a  series  of  addresses,    but 

1  These  were  Lord  Lyttleton,  G.  Dawson,  and  C.  Bray. 


700  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

all  marked  with  the  same  paucity  of  idea,  lack  of 
original  thought.  A  good  but  very  self-satisfied  man, 
he  reaped  far  higher  applause  in  his  day  as  he  deserved, 
and  in  another  generation  will  be  clean  forgotten.  He 
called  himself  the  miner  poet,  but  he  is  not  even  a 
minor  poet.  There  is  something  pathetic  in  the  con- 
templation of  a  man  of  this  sort.  I  have  come  across 
several  instances — men  who  have  a  love  of  nature,  an 
appreciation  of  the  beautiful  and  the  good  and  the 
true,  but  have  no  genius,  no  originality,  who  can 
imitate  but  create  nothing.  It  is  the  same  with 
musicians.  There  are  a  thousand  who  can  write  songs, 
but  only  one  in  a  thousand  who  can  produce  a  pure 
melody.  The  mirror  reflects  objects,  but  the  burning- 
glass  focusses  the  sun's  rays  in  a  pencil  of  fire  that 
kindles  whatever  it  falls  on.  Such  is  the  difference 
between  the  versifier  and  the  poet. 

Nulla  placere  diu,  nee  vivere  carmina  possunt 
Quae  seribuntur  aqua;  portoribus. 

Hor.  Ep.  I.  19. 


EDWARD    CHAPMAN 

HALS  tells  the  following  story  of  Mr.  Edward 
Chapman,  of  Constantine.  But  before 
giving  it,  it  will  be  well  to  say  a  few 
words  of  the  Chapman  family.  The  name 
suffices  to  show  that  it  was  not  Cornish  by  origin,  and 
indeed  in  the  Heralds'  Visitation  it  is  recorded  to  have 
come  from  the  North.  Why  they  came  down  one 
cannot  say,  but  they  married  well.  One  John  Chapman, 
of  Harpford,  in  Devon,  had  to  wife  a  daughter  of 
Chichester,  of  Hall,  and  his  son  Edward  married  a 
Prideaux,  and  settled  at  Resprin  in  S.  Winnow,  and 
as  that  was  a  manor  that  belonged  to  the  Prideaux 
family  it  is  probable  that  his  wife  was  an  heiress. 
Edward,  the  grandson,  baptized  at  S.  Winnow 
May  1 2th,  1647,  was  probably  the  person  mentioned 
by  Hals,  to  whom  the  adventure  is  attributed.  He 
was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Bligh,  of  Botathen. 

*'This  gentleman  received  from  God's  holy  angels  a 
wonderful  preservation  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign 
of  William  HI  when  returning  from  Redruth  towards 
his  own  house  about  seven  miles  distant,  with  his 
servant,  late  at  night,  and  both  much  intoxicated  with 
liquor  (as  himself  told  me);  nevertheless  having  so 
much  sense  left  as  to  consider  that  they  were  to  pass 
through  several  tin  mines  or  shafts  near  the  highway, 
on  the  south-east  side  of  Redruth  town,  alighted  both 
from  their  horses,  and  led  them  in  their  hands  after 
them.     The  servant  went  somewhat  before  his  master, 

701 


702  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

the  better  to  keep  the  right  road  in  those  places,  which 
occasioned  Mr.  Chapman's  turning  aside  somewhat 
out  of  the  way,  whereby  in  the  dark  he  suddenly  fell 
into  a  tin  mine  above  twenty  fathoms  deep,  at  whose 
fall  into  this  precipice  his  horse  started  back  and 
escaped  ;  in  this  pit  or  hole  Mr.  Chapman  fell  directly 
down  fifteen  fathoms  without  let  or  intermission,  where 
meeting  with  a  cross  drift  (above  six  fathoms  of  water 
under  it),  he  in  his  campaign  coat,  sword,  and  boots, 
was  miraculously  stopped,  when,  coming  to  himself, 
he  was  not  much  sensible  of  any  hurt  or  bruises  he  had 
received,  through  the  terror  and  horror  of  his  fall  ; 
when,  considering  in  what  condition  he  was,  he 
resolved  to  make  the  best  expedient  he  could  to 
prevent  his  falling  further  down  (where,  by  the 
dropping  of  stones  and  earth  moved  by  his  fall,  he 
understood  there  was  much  water  under),  so  he  rested 
his  back  against  one  side  of  the  ruin,  and  his  feet 
against  the  other,  athwart  the  hole,  and  in  order  to  fix 
his  hands  on  some  solid  thing,  drew  his  sword  out  of 
its  sheath,  and  thrust  the  blade  thereof  as  far  as  he 
could  into  the  opposite  part  of  the  shaft,  and  so  in 
great  pain  and  terror  rested  himself. 

"The  suddenness  of  this  accident,  and  the  horse's 
escaping  in  the  dark  as  aforesaid,  was  the  reason  why 
Mr.  Chapman's  servant,  who  went  before  him,  did  not 
so  soon  find  him  wanting  as  otherwise  he  might,  which 
as  soon  as  he  did,  he  went  back  the  roadway  in  quest 
of  him,  calling  him  aloud  by  his  name  ;  but  receiving 
no  answer,  nor  being  able  to  find  his  horse,  he  con- 
cluded his  master  had  rode  home  some  other  way, 
whereupon,  giving  up  all  further  search  after  him,  he 
hastened  home  to  Constantine,  expecting  to  have  met 
him  there  ;  but  contrary  to  his  expectations,  found  he 
was   not    returned.     Whereupon    his    servants,    early 


EDWARD   CHAPMAN  703 

next  morning,  went  forth  to  inquire  after  him,  and 
suspecting  (as  it  happened)  he  might  be  fallen  into 
some  tin-shafts  about  Redruth,  hastened  thither,  where, 
before  they  arrived,  some  tinners  had  taken  custody 
of  his  horse  (with  bridle  and  saddle  on),  which  they 
found  grazing  in  the  Wastsell  Downs.  Whereupon, 
consulting  together  about  this  tragical  mishap,  it  was 
resolved  forthwith  that  some  of  these  tinners,  for 
reward,  should  search  the  most  dangerous  shafts  in 
order  to  find  his  body,  either  living  or  dead  ;  accord- 
ingly they  employed  themselves  that  day  till  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  without  any  discovery  of 
him.  Finally,  one  person  returned  to  his  company, 
and  told  them  that  at  a  considerable  distance  he  heard 
a  kind  of  human  voice  underground  ;  to  which  place 
they  repaired,  and  making  loud  cries  to  the  hole  of 
the  shaft,  he  forthwith  answered  them  that  he  was 
there  alive,  and  prayed  their  assistance  in  order  to 
deliver  him  from  that  tremendous  place ;  where- 
upon, immediately  they  set  on  tackle  ropes  and 
windlass  on  the  old  shaft,  so  that  a  tinner  descended 
to  the  place  where  he  rested,  and  having  candle-light 
with  him,  bound  him  fast  in  a  rope,  and  so  drew  him 
safety  to  land,  where,  to  their  great  admiration  and 
joy,  it  appeared  he  had  neither  broke  any  bone,  or  was 
much  bruised  by  the  fall ;  verifying  that  old  English 
proverb,  that  drunkards  seldom  take  hurt ;  for,  as  the 
tinners  said,  if  he  had  fallen  but  two  or  three  feet 
lower,  he  must  inevitably  have  been  drowned  in  the 
water.  But  maugre  all  these  adverse  accidents,  after 
about  seventeen  hours'  stay  in  the  pit  aforesaid,  he 
miraculously  escaped  death,  and  lived  many  years 
after,  and  would  recount  this  story  with  as  much  plea- 
sure as  men  do  the  ballads  of  '  Chevy  Chase '  or 
*  Rosamond  Clifford,'  " 


JOHN    COKE,    OF    TRERICE 

THERE  is  no  thriving  on  ill-gotten  goods, 
says  the  proverb,  and  this  was  exemplified 
in  the  case  of  the  Cook  or  Coke  family  of 
Trerice,  in  S.  Allen. 

According  to  Hals,  John  Coke,  attorney-at-law,  came 
into  these  parts  of  Cornwall  in  the  reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  from  Ottery  S.  Mary,  in  Devon,  *' without 
money  or  goods,  and  placed  himself  a  servant  or 
steward  under  Sir  Francis  Godolphin,  Knight,  where 
he  began  from,  and  with,  his  ink-horn  and  pen,  to 
turn  all  things  that  he  touched  into  gold,  and  that  by 
indirect  art  and  practices  as  tradition  saith."  This 
Cook  or  Coke  derived  from  a  Henry  Cooke,  a  citizen 
of  Exeter,  who  married  the  sister  and  heiress  of  Roger 
Thorne,  in  Ottery  S.  Mary  ;  and  the  eldest  branch  of 
the  family  remained  at  Thorne  till  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  when  it  became  extinct. 

Sir  Francis  Godolphin,  finding  John  Coke  a  clever 
business  man,  left  in  his  hands  the  management  of  his 
estate  and  his  tin  mines. 

Coke  took  care  that  all  the  tin  of  his  master's  mines 
should  be  run  into  blocks  and  stamped  with  the  dolphin, 
to  show  whence  they  came  and  whose  they  were.  But 
after  a  while,  as  he  saw  that  he  was  not  specially  over- 
looked, and  that  opportunity  was  afforded  him  for 
peculation,  he  had  a  considerable  share  of  the  block 
tin  produced  at  the  blowing-houses  of  Sir  Francis  for 
himself,  and  to  distinguish  it  from  that  of  his  master's 

704 


JOHN    COKE,    OF   TRERICE  705 

had  it  stamped  with  the  figure  of  a  cat,  as  cats  are  on 
the  Coke  arms  ;  and  this  he  disposed  of  to  his  own 
advantage,  and  eventually  it  was  found  that  from  the 
Godolphin  mines  more  tin  was  produced  and  sold 
marked  with  the  cat  than  was  with  the  dolphin. 

Hals  says:  ''Sir  Francis's  lady  being  informed  of 
his  ill  practices,  and  resolving  by  the  next  coinage  to 
be  better  instructed  in  this  mystery,  at  such  time  as 
Godolphin  blowing-house  was  at  work,  privately,  with 
one  of  her  maids,  in  a  morning,  on  foot  went  to  that 
place,  where  according,  as  common  fame  reported,  she 
found  many  more  blocks  or  slabs  of  tin  marked  with 
the  cat  than  there  were  with  the  dolphin  ;  the  one  part 
pertaining  to  Sir  Francis,  the  other  to  Mr.  Coke. 
Whereupon,  abundantly  satisfied,  she  returned  to 
Godolphin  House,  but  could  not  be  there  timely 
enough  against  dinner ;  whereat  Sir  Francis  was 
greatly  distasted,  having  at  that  time  several  strangers 
to  dine  with  him.  At  length  the  lady  being  arrived, 
she  asked  all  their  pardons  for  her  absence,  and  told 
them  it  did  not  proceed  from  any  neglect  or  want  of 
respect,  but  from  an  absolute  necessity  of  seeing  a 
strange  and  unheard-of  piece  of  curiosity,  which  could 
not  be  seen  at  any  other  time  ;  viz.  to  see  a  cat  eat  the 
dolphin.  And  then  gave  an  account  of  the  premises, 
to  their  great  wonder  and  admiration  ;  whereupon, 
soon  after.  Sir  Francis  dismissed  him  from  his  service. 
But  by  that  time  he  had  gotten  so  much  riches  that 
forthwith  he  purchased  the  little  barton  and  manor  of 
Trerice,  in  S.  Allen,  and  made  that  place  his  habita- 
tion till  he  purchased  the  barton  and  manor  of 
Tregasa,  and  seated  himself  there,  where,  by  par- 
simony and  the  inferior  practice  of  the  law,  he  accumu- 
lated a  very  considerable  estate  in  those  parts.  But 
maugre  all  his  thrift  and  conduct  in  providing  wealth 
2  z 


7o6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

for  himself  and  posterity,  his  grandson,  Thomas  Coke, 
succeeding  to  his  estate,  upon  the  issueless  decease  of 
his  elder  brother,  Christopher  Coke,  and  buying  in  his 
widow's  jointure  at  a  dear  rate,  and  also  undertaking 
the  building  of  the  present  new  and  finely  contrived 
house  at  Tregasa,  though  never  finished,  yet  the  said 
fabric  was  so  costly  and  chargeable  to  him,  together 
with  the  vain  extravagance  of  his  wife  Lance,  that  he 
was  necessitated  to  sell  divers  parcels  of  lands  in  order 
to  raise  money  for  his  necessary  occasions,  and  finally 
to  mortgage  the  manor  and  barton  of  Tregasa  and 
all  his  other  lands  that  were  before  unsold,  for  about 
fourteen  thousand  pounds,  to  Hugh  Boscawen,  of 
Tregothnan,  Esq.;  and  lastly,  for  that  consideration 
and  others,  did,  by  lease  and  release,  fine  and  pro- 
clamation, convey  the  same  to  the  said  Hugh  Boscawen, 
his  heirs  and  assigns,  for  ever.  Soon  after  this  fact 
Mr.  Coke  fell  into  great  want  and  distress,  together 
with  his  wife  and  children,  and  died  suddenly  by  a  slip 
of  his  foot  into  a  shallow  pit,  wherein  he  was  searching 
for  tin,  out  of  a  conceited  opinion  he  had  that  he 
should  at  last  raise  his  fortune  by  tin,  as  his  grand- 
father before  him  had  done." 

What  Hals  has  omitted  to  state  is  that  John  Coke 
married  a  Godolphin,  Prudence,  daughter  of  William 
Godolphin,  of  Trewarveneth,  by  whom  he  had  three 
sons — John,  Edward,  and  Francis.  Thomas  Coke, 
who  came  to  such  grief,  the  sins  of  the  grandfather 
visited  on  the  grandchild,  was  Sheriff  of  Cornwall  in 
the  year  1651  under  the  Commonwealth. 


THOMAS    PELLOW,    OF    PENRYN 

THOMAS  PELLOW  was  born  at  Penryn,  in 
all  probability  in  1704,  and  was  educated  in 
the  Latin  school  of  that  place.  But  loving 
adventure  better  than  books,  and  impatient 
to  escape  propria  quce  maribus,  he  implored  his  uncle 
John  Pellow  to  allow  him  to  embark  with  him  in  the 
good  ship  Francis,  owned  by  Valentine  Enys,  mer- 
chant, of  Penryn,  that  was  bound  with  a  cargo  of 
pilchards  for  Genoa.  He  soon  began  to  regret  having 
left  the  school  bench,  for  his  uncle  not  only  made  him 
work  as  a  common  seaman,  but  when  not  so  employed 
held  him  to  those  hated  books,  and  if  he  shirked,  gave 
him  the  cat-o'-nine-tails.  "  So  that  by  the  time  we  got 
to  Genoa  I  thought  I  had  enough  of  the  sea,  being 
every  day,  during  our  voyage  out,  obliged  (over  and 
above  my  book  learning)  to  go  up  to  the  main-top 
mast-head,  even  in  all  weather."  On  the  return 
voyage  when  off  Cape  Finisterre  the  vessel  was  cap- 
tured by  Sallee  pirates,  and  it  with  the  crew  conveyed 
to  Morocco  as  captives.  Thomas  Pellow  was  in  but  his 
eleventh  year,  and  his  Moorish  masters  thought  that 
they  would  have  little  difficulty  with  him  in  making  of 
him  a  Mussulman. 

He  remained  in  Morocco  for  twenty-three  years, 
during  which  time  he  kept  a  diary,  and  this  was  pub- 
lished in  London  in  1739  and  1740,  but  no  date  is 
affixed  to  the  two  editions.  A  third  edition  was  pub- 
lished in  1775,  and  recently  his  record  of  adventure  has 

707 


7o8  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

been  included  in  the  "Adventure  Series,"  edited  with 
an  introduction  by  Dr.  Robert  Brown,  and  published 
by  Mr.  Fisher  Unwin,  London,  i8go.  In  this  edition 
the  narrative  extends  to  330  pages,  and  it  is  not  my  in- 
tention to  give  even  a  summary  of  its  contents,  the 
book  itself  being  easily  accessible.  What  must  suffice 
is  some  account  of  the  beginning  of  his  bondage  and 
an  idea  of  the  condition  of  Morocco  whilst  he  was 
there. 

Thomas  Pellow  was  given  as  slave  to  Muley  Spha 
one  of  the  Sultan's  favourite  sons,  but,  as  Pellow  says, 
a  sad  villain.  "  My  business  now  was  to  run  from 
morning  to  night  after  his  horse's  heels;  during  which 
he  often  prompted  me  to  turn  Moor,  and  told  me,  if  I 
would,  I  should  have  a  very  fine  horse  to  ride  on,  and  I 
should  live  like  one  of  his  best  esteemed  friends."  As 
Pellow  declined  this  invitation,  "  he  committed  me 
prisoner  to  one  of  his  own  rooms,  keeping  me  there 
several  months  in  irons,  and  every  day  most  severely 
bastinading  me.  .  .  .  My  tortures  were  now  exceed- 
ingly increased,  burning  my  flesh  off  my  bones  by 
fire  ;  which  the  tyrant  did,  by  frequent  repetitions,  in- 
somuch, that  through  my  so  very  acute  pains  I  was  at 
last  constrained  to  submit,  calling  upon  God  to  forgive 
me,  who  knows  that  I  never  gave  the  consent  of  the 
heart,  though  I  seemingly  yielded  by  holding  up  my 
finger." 

He  was  then,  after  having  been  instructed  in  the 
Moorish  language,  appointed  to  be  chief  porter  to  the 
Sultan's  harem,  where  resided  the  Sultana  and  thirty- 
eight  concubines.  He  received  strict  orders  that  no 
one  should  be  admitted  without  due  notice.  On  one 
occasion  the  Sultan  arrived  and  knocked  to  be  admitted 
without  having  previously  intimated  his  intention  of 
paying  a  visit  to  his  harem.    The  outer  porter  made  no 


THOMAS    FELLOW,    OF    FENRYN       709 

difficulty  in  admitting  him,  but  Tliomas  Fellow  abso- 
lutely refused  to  admit  His  Majesty  as  he  had  received 
no  notice  that  he  was  coming,  and  when  the  Sultan 
continued  to  knock,  he  discharged  his  blunderbuss 
through  the  door.  The  Sultan  was  so  delighted  at  his 
trustworthy  character  and  behaviour  on  the  occasion, 
that  he  cut  off  the  heads  of  the  two  complaisant  door- 
keepers, and  promoted  Fellow  to  be  one  of  his  body- 
guard. 

After  a  few  years  the  Sultan,  "being  on  the  merry 
fun,  ordered  to  be  brought  before  him  eight  hundred 
young  men,  and  soon  after  as  many  young  women,  and 
he  told  the  men,  that  he  had  on  several  occasions 
observed  their  readiness  in  obeying  him,  he  would 
therefore  give  every  one  of  them  a  wife  ;  and  which 
indeed,  he  soon  did,  by  giving  some  by  his  own  hand 
(a  very  great  condescension),  and  to  others  by  the 
beckoning  of  his  head,  and  the  cast  of  his  eye,  where 
they  should  fix.  After  they  were  all  coupled  and 
departed,  I  was  also  called  forth,  and  bid  to  look  at 
eight  black  women  standing  there,  and  to  take  one  of 
them  for  a  wife,  at  which  sudden  command,  I  (being 
not  a  little  confounded)  immediately  bowing  twice,  fall- 
ing to  the  ground  and  kissing  it,  and  after  that  the 
Emperor's  foot,  humbly  entreated  him  that  he  would  be 
graciously  pleased  to  give  me  one  of  my  own  colour. 
Then,  forthwith  sending  them  off,  he  ordered  to  be 
brought  forth  seven  others,  who  all  proved  to  be 
mulattoes,  at  which  I  again  bowed  to  the  ground,  still 
entreating  him  to  give  me  one  of  my  own  colour  ;  and 
then  he  ordered  them  also  to  depart,  and  sent  for  a 
single  woman,  full  dressed,  with  two  blacks  attending 
her.  I  being  forthwith  ordered  to  take  her  by  the  hand 
and  lead  her  off,  perceived  it  to  be  black  also,  as  soon 
after  I  did  her  feet ;  at  which  I  started  back,  and  being 


7IO 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


asked  what  was  the  matter,  I  answered  him  as  before  ; 
when  he,  assenting,  ordered  me  to  lift  up  her  veil  and  look 
at  her  face  ;  which  I  readily  obeying,  found  her  to  be  of 
a  very  agreeable  complexion,  the  old  rascal  crying  out 
in  the  Spanish  language.  Bono,  bono,  ordering  me  a 
second  time  to  take  her  by  the  hand,  lead  her  off,  and 
keep  her  safe." 

By  this  wife  Pellow  had  a  daughter.  The  Sultan 
was  a  monster  of  cruelty,  but  according  to  Pellow  there 
was  not  much  choice  in  rotten  apples  ;  he  saw  the  rise  of 
several,  and  one  was  as  bad  as  another.  He  says  of  the 
first -he  served:  ''He  was  of  so  fickle,  cruel,  and 
sanguine  a  nature,  that  none  could  become  for  one  hour 
secure  of  life.  He  had  many  despatched,  by  having 
their  heads  cut  off,  or  by  being  strangled,  others  by 
tossing  ;  but  scarce  would  he  on  those  occasions  afford 
a  verbal  command,  he  thinking  that  too  much — gen- 
erally giving  it  by  signs  or  motions  of  his  head  and 
hand. 

*'  The  punishment  of  Tossing  is  a  very  particular  one 
and  peculiar  to  the  Moors.  The  person  whom  the 
Emperor  orders  to  be  thus  punished  is  seized  by  three 
or  four  strong  negroes,  who,  taking  hold  of  his  arms, 
throw  him  up  with  all  their  strength,  and  at  the  same 
time  turning  him  round,  pitch  him  down  head  foremost ; 
at  which  they  are  so  dexterous  by  long  use,  that  they 
can  either  break  his  neck  at  the  first  toss,  dislocate  his 
shoulder,  or  let  him  fall  with  less  hurt.  They  continue 
doing  this  as  often  as  the  Emperor  has  ordered. 

"The  Emperor's  wrath  is  terrible,  which  the  Chris- 
tians have  often  felt.  One  day,  passing  by  a  high  wall 
on  which  they  were  at  work,  and  being  affronted  that 
they  did  not  keep  time  in  their  strokes,  he  made  the 
guards  go  up  and  throw  them  off '  the  wall,  breaking 
their  legs  and  arms,  and  knocking  them  on  the  head. 


THOMAS    PELLOW,    OF   PENRYN       711 

Another  time  he  ordered  them  to  bury  a  man  alive,  and 
beat  him  down  along  with  the  mortar  in  the  wall. 

''In  the  year  1721  the  Emperor  despatched  El  Arbi 
Shat,  a  man  of  one  of  the  best  families  in  Barbary, 
being  descended  from  the  Andalusian  Moors,  and 
deserved  the  esteem  both  of  his  own  countrymen  and  of 
us.  Part  of  the  crime  laid  to  his  charge  was  for  going 
out  of  the  country  without  the  Emperor's  knowledge, 
and  having  been  friendly  himself  with  Christian  women, 
and  often  been  in  liquor.  He  was  also  accused  of  being 
an  unbeliever.  Early  one  morning  he  was  carried 
before  the  Emperor,  who  commanded  him  to  be  sawed 
in  two  ;  upon  which  he  was  tied  between  two  boards  and 
sawed  in  two,  beginning  at  the  head  and  going  down- 
wards, till  the  body  fell  asunder,  and  must  have 
remained  to  have  been  eaten  by  dogs,  if  the  Emperor 
had  not  pardoned  him — an  extravagant  custom,  to 
pardon  a  man  after  he  is  dead,  but  unless  he  does  so, 
nobody  dares  bury  the  body." 

Pellow  describes  the  condition  of  the  Christian 
slaves:  ''The  severest  labour  and  hardships  inflicted 
on  malefactors  in  Europe  are  levity  compared  with  what 
many  worthy  persons  undergo  in  this  modern  Egypt. 
At  daybreak  the  guardians  of  the  several  dungeons, 
where  the  Christian  slaves  are  shut  up  at  night,  rouse 
them  with  curses  and  blows  to  their  work,  which  consists 
in  providing  materials  for  the  Emperor's  extravagant 
buildings,  stamping  earth  mixed  with  lime  and  water,  in 
a  wooden  box  near  three  yards  long  and  three  feet 
deep,  and  of  the  extended  breadth  of  the  wall.  Their 
instrument  for  this  is  a  heavy  wooden  stamper. 
Others  prepare  and  mix  the  earth,  or  dig  in  quarries 
for  lime  stones  ;  others  burn  them.  Some  are  employed 
to  carry  large  baskets  of  earth  ;  some  drive  wagons 
drawn  by  six  bulls  and  two  horses,  and,  after  the  toil  of 


712  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

the  day,  these  miserable  carters  watch  their  cattle  in  the 
field  at  night,  and  in  all  weathers,  as  their  life  must 
answer  for  any  accident.  The  task  of  many  is  to  saw, 
cut,  cement  and  erect  marble  pillars,  and  of  such  as  are 
found  qualified,  to  make  gunpowder  and  small  arms  ; 
yet  does  not  their  skill  procure  them  any  better  treat- 
ment than  those  who,  having  only  the  use  of  their 
limbs  without  any  ingenuity,  are  set  to  the  coarsest 
works,  as  tending  horses,  sweeping  stables,  carrying 
burdens,  grinding  with  hand-mills.  They  have  all 
their  respective  taskmasters,  who  punish  the  least 
stop  or  inadvertency,  and  often  will  not  allow  the  poor 
creatures  time  to  eat  their  bread.  After  such  a  wearisome 
day,  it  frequently  happens  they  are  hurried  away  to  some 
filthy  work  in  the  night  time.  Their  lodgings  in  the 
night  are  subterranean  dungeons,  round,  and  about  five 
fathoms  diameter  and  three  deep,  going  down  by  a 
ladder  of  ropes,  which  is  afterwards  drawn  up,  and  an 
iron  grate  fastened  in  the  mouth  ;  and  here  they  lay 
upon  mats.  Neither  has  their  fare  anything  more  com- 
fortable in  it,  consisting  only  of  a  small  platter  of  black 
barley  meal,  with  a  pittance  of  oil  per  day.  This 
scantiness  has  put  several  upon  hazarding  a  leap  from 
very  high  walls  only  to  get  a  few  wild  onions  that  grow 
in  the  Moors'  burying  place." 

Fellow  developed  considerable  military  ability  and 
was  employed  in  military  operations  against  rebels;  he 
was  made  a  captain,  and  was  present  at  several  sieges, 
and  witnessed  the  barbarity  wherewith  were  treated  the 
men  of  a  captured  town,  On  one  occasion  the  troops 
were  required  to  cut  off  the  heads  of  all  the  male  in- 
habitants and  bring  them  to  the  Sultan;  but  as  the 
number  was  so  great  and  the  stench  threatened  to  breed 
a  pestilence  in  the  army,  the  general  was  compelled  to 
slice  off  the  ears  and  pickle  them  in  barrels  and  convey 


THOMAS   PELLOW,    OF   PENRYN       713 

these  only  to  the  Sultan  at  his  capital,  who  graciously 
under  the  circumstances  accepted  the  ears  in  lieu  of  the 
heads. 

Fellow  was  several  times  wounded,  and  he  made  occa- 
sional abortive  attempts  to  escape.  When  wounded, 
returning  from  one  of  his  expeditions,  he  received  news 
that  his  wife  and  daughter  were  dead,  and  he  calmly 
observes:  "I  must  own  that  it  gave  me  very  little 
uneasiness,  as  I  thought  them  to  be  by  far  better  off 
than  they  could  have  been  in  this  troublesome  world, 
especially  this  part  of  it ;  and  I  was  really  very  glad 
that  they  were  delivered  out  of  it,  and  therefore  it  gave 
me  very  little  uneasiness." 

It  is  startling  to  think  that  in  the  reign  of  George  I 
there  should  be  such  numbers  of  English  as  well  as 
French,  Spanish  and  Italian  captives  in  Morocco  and 
Algiers  and  Tunis,  and  that  their  redemption  should 
have  to  be  the  work  of  private  charity,  and  not  be  a 
determined  undertaking  of  Government. 

In  1791  England  framed  a  treaty  with  Morocco  giving 
our  merchants  freedom  to  sail  the  seas  unmolested,  and 
permitting  renegades  to  return  to  their  old  faith  and 
obtain  their  liberty  on  certain  conditions.  But  captives 
continued  to  be  taken  by  the  corsairs  as  of  old  :  "  Shall 
a  Moslem,"  asked  one  of  the  sultans,  "be  a  slave  to 
his  word,  like  a  dog  of  a  Christian?"  In  1800  Muley 
Suliman  agreed  with  Spain  for  a  reciprocal  interchange 
of  captives,  and  similar  contracts  were  entered  into 
with  other  powers.  In  1817,  acting  under  force 
majeure,  Suliman  was  compelled  to  disarm  his  war 
vessels,  and  promise  to  put  an  end  to  this  atrocious 
system,  that  had  lasted  too  long.  But  although  piracy 
was  no  longer  officially  recognized,  it  did  not  wholly 
cease.  Whether  the  Sultan  connived  at  the  infraction 
of  treaty,  or  whether  the  inhabitants  of  the  Riff  shore 


714  CORNISH   CHARACTERS 

acted  independently  of  him,  merchant  vessels  continued 
to  be  boarded  and  taken  and  the  crew  enslaved. 

In  1828  the  English  established  a  blockade  of  the 
Morocco  coast  in  retaliation  for  the  continuance  of  these 
outrages,  and  in  1829  the  capture  of  an  Austrian  vessel 
by  pirates  led  to  the  bombardment  of  the  ports  of 
Tetuan,  Azila,  Rabat,  and  Sallee.  At  length  the 
insolence  of  the  Moorish  corsairs  led  to  the  Spanish 
war  of  1859-60,  which  taught  the  Moors  a  salutary 
lesson. 

In  1856  Sir  John  Drummond-Hay  succeeded  in 
recovering  some  captives,  and  in  exacting  an  assurance 
that  similar  conduct  should  not  recur.  But  although 
attacks  by  piratical  ships  on  the  high  seas  were  brought 
to  an  end,  wrecking  was  pursued  with  zest  and 
impunity.  Any  vessel  that  was  cast  upon  the  coast 
was  regarded  as  a  legitimate  prize,  and  its  crew  who 
came  ashore  were  carried  into  the  interior  and  enslaved. 
In  this  way  Riley,  Adams,  and  Puddock  were  able  to 
write  their  experiences,  on  their  escape  from  captivity. 

Sir  Arthur  Brook  in  1831  wrote  that  ''the  country 
Moors  on  all  parts  of  the  coast  are  constantly  on  the 
look  out  for  Christians,  and  instantly  make  prisoners 
of  all  who  have  either  landed  accidentally  or  have  been 
shipwrecked.  Parties  that  are  occasionally  formed,  as 
ours  was,  to  visit  Cape  Spartel  are  even  subject  to  this, 
and  in  one  recent  instance  the  lady  of  the  English  Vice- 
Consul,  who  had  strolled  to  a  short  distance  out  of  sight 
of  the  guard  that  attended  her,  was  on  the  point  of 
being  made  a  prisoner  by  a  body  of  natives  who 
surrounded  her  and  her  party,  thinking  they  were  alone, 
until  undeceived  by  the  timely  appearance  of  the 
escort." 

A  visitor  to  the  Riviera  will  see  the  little  towns  and 
villages   walled    up,    and    with    strong    gateways   and 


THOMAS    PELLOW,    OF   PENRYN       715 

towers.  They  were  protections  against  Algerine  and 
Moroccan  corsairs,  who  would  land  and  raid  the  coast 
for  captives;  and  there  are  old  men  still  living  who  had 
heard  from  their  fathers  piteous  stories  of  their  being 
taken  and  carried  off  into  bondage  and  cruel  slavery  in 
Africa. 

There  are  still,  and  there  have  been  in  the  past, 
numerous  Europeans  who  have  been  renegades,  and 
have  lent  their  wits  and  experience  to  the  Moors,  but 
they  are  nearly  all  scoundrels  of  the  worst  description, 
forgats  who  have  escaped  from  the  prisons  in  Spain 
or  Algiers,  and  other  vagabonds  unable  to  show  their 
faces  in  Europe.  Dr.  Brown  writes:  "  I  know  of  no 
British  renegade — the  last  and  the  most  respectable  of 
the  order,  a  Scotchman,  who  lived  at  Rabat,  much 
esteemed  for  his  intelligence  and  honourable  conduct, 
having  died  two  years  ago.  Were  the  history  of  these 
turncoats  fully  known,  the  story  of  their  lives  would  be 
a  curious  chapter  in  the  annals  of  human  nature.  One 
of  the  most  romantic  of  these  tales  was  that  of  an  old 
white-bearded  man  who,  when  the  French  military 
commission  first  entered  Fez  in  1877,  was  seen  silently 
and  sad-eyed,  supported  by  two  attendants,  contem- 
plating a  uniform  with  which  in  days  gone  by  he  was 
very  familiar.  This  aged  renegade  was  known  as  Abd- 
er-Rhuman  ;  but  his  christened  name  was  Count  Joseph 
de  Saulty,  formerly  a  lieutenant  of  engineers  in  the  army 
of  Algeria.  In  a  weak  moment  he  eloped  with  the 
commandant's  wife,  and  remained  in  Tunis  until  she 
died.  Then,  becoming  painfully  anxious  of  the  grave 
position  in  which  he  was  placed  as  a  deserter  from,  the 
colours,  he  passed  into  Morocco,  changed  his  faith, 
and  as  a  military  adviser  of  the  then  Sultan  rose  high 
in  the  imperial  favour.  He  died  in  1881,  and  is  buried 
at  the  gates  of  Fez,  though  so  thoroughly  did  he  put 


7i6  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

the  past  behind  him,  that  his  son,  now  occupying  a  high 
position  in  the  Court,  is  entirely  ignorant  of  any  lan- 
guage except  Arabic.  Another  renegade  of  note  was 
the  English  officer  still  remembered  as  Inglis  Bashaw 
under  whom  Muley-el-Hassan,  the  present  Sultan, 
learned  the  art  of  war,  and  who  was  the  first  individual 
to  impart  anything  like  discipline  to  the  Moroccan 
army.  Why  he  came  to  Morocco  is  not  known,  and  so 
jealously  was  his  identity  kept  dark,  that  in  a  recent 
work  by  the  Viscount  de  la  Montonere  his  real  name  is 
declared  to  be  unknown.  At  this  date  there  can  be  no 
reason  for  concealing  that  it  was  Graham  ;  and  I  have 
been  told  by  those  who  have  every  reason  to  know  that, 
like  so  many  others  who  incur  the  jealousy  of  the 
Moorish  dignitaries,  he  died  of  poison." 

The  time  of  Morocco  piracy  is  at  an  end,  but  that  on 
land  there  are  still  captures  has  been  of  late  years  but 
too  evident — the  last  being  the  capture  of  Sir  Hugh 
Maclean. 

But  to  return  to  Thomas  Pellow. 

After  several  ineffectual  attempts  at  escape,  and  after 
incurring  hairbreadth  escapes,  Pellow  succeeded  even- 
tually in  making  his  way  to  Gibraltar.  But  even  there 
he  was  not  safe.  A  Jew,  agent  for  the  Sultan  of 
Morocco,  claimed  him,  and  demanded  that  he  should  be 
surrendered,  as  a  Mussulman  and  as  a  subject  of  the 
Moorish  Sultan.  But  General  Field-Marshal  Joseph 
Sabine,  then  Governor  of  Gibraltar,  answered  peremp- 
torily that,  as  an  English-born  subject,  he  was  an 
Englishman,  and  could  not  be  surrendered.  He  went 
on  board  a  vessel  for  England  and  reached  Deptford, 
''and  going  on  shore,  directly  to  the  church,  returned 
public  thanks  to  God  for  my  safe  arrival  in  Old 
England." 

He  remained  in  Deptford,  very  kindly  received  by 


THOMAS    PELLOW,    OF    PENRYN       717 

a  brother  Cornishman,  William  Jones,  and  there,  find- 
ing no  vessel  bound  for  Falmouth,  he  went  to  London 
and  thence  embarked  on  board  a  vessel  commanded  by 
Captain  Francis,  who  readily  offered  him  a  passage  to 
Truro. 

He  landed  at  Falmouth.  The  news  of  his  coming 
had  spread.  "  My  father's  house  was  almost  quite  at 
the  other  end  of  the  town.  I  was,  before  I  could  reach 
it,  more  than  an  hour ;  for  notwithstanding  it  was 
almost  dark,  I  was  so  crowded  by  the  inhabitants  that  I 
could  not  pass  through  them  without  a  great  deal  of 
difficulty — every  one  bidding  me  welcome  home,  being 
all  very  inquisitive  with  me  if  I  knew  them,  which, 
indeed  I  did  not,  for  I  was  so  very  young  at  my 
departure,  and  my  captivity  and  the  long  interval  of 
time  had  made  so  very  great  an  alteration  on  both  sides, 
that  I  did  not  know  my  own  father  and  mother,  nor 
they  me  ;  and  had  we  happened  to  meet  at  any  other 
place  without  being  preadvised,  whereby  there  might 
be  an  expectation  or  natural  instinct  interposing,  we 
should  no  doubt  have  passed  each  other,  unless  my 
great  beard  might  have  influenced  them  to  inquire 
further  after  me." 

He  returned  to  Penryn  on  the  15th  October,  1738,  his 
birthday. 

His  narrative  concludes  with  a  touching  account  of 
his  gratitude  to  God  for  having  brought  him  back,  and 
an  expression  of  his  earnest  desire  to  serve  God  truly 
all  the  rest  of  his  days  upon  earth. 


THE    ORIGIN    OF   THE    ROBARTES 
FAMILY 

COLONEL  SYMONDS,  who  accompanied 
Charles  I  when  he  was  in  the  West,  says 
in  his  diary:  ''A  gentleman  of  the  county 
told  me  the  original  of  the  Lord  Roberts 
his  family.  His  great-grandfather  was  servant  to  a 
gentleman  of  this  county — his  hynd.  Afterwards  lived 
in  Truro,  and  traded  in  wood  and  fferzen — got  an  estate 
of  5  to  ;^6oo.  His  son  was  so  bred,  and  lived  there  too, 
putt  out  his  money,  and  his  debtors  paid  it  him  in  tynn. 
He  engrossing  the  sale  of  tyn,  grew  to  be  worth  many 
thousands — ^^30,000.  His  son  was  squeezed  by  the 
Court  in  King  James  his  time  of  iJ^20,ooo,  so  was  made 
a  Baron,  and  built  the  house  of  Lanhydrock,  now  the 
seat  of  Lord  Roberts  "  (pp.  45,  46).  The  hind,  who 
founded  the  family,  and  sold  wood  and  furze  for  the  tin 
smelting,  was  Richard  Roberts  of  Truro,  who  married 
Joan  Geffrey  of  S.  Breage,  and  died  in  1593.  His  son, 
who  continued  the  wood  store  and  got  paid  in  tin,  was 
John  Roberts,  who  married  Philippa,  daughter  of  John 
Gaverigan,  of  a  very  ancient  family.  He  died  in  1615. 
Before  the  introduction  of  coal  in  tin  smelting,  the 
fuel  employed  was  peat,  furze,  i.e.  gorse  that  produced 
a  quick,  fierce  blaze,  and  wood.  Rapidly  the  trees  in 
Cornwall  were  disappearing,  as  the  produce  of  tin  ore 
became  greater,  and  the  lack  of  the  necessary  fuel  was 
becoming  a  serious  impediment. 

718 


'^\  .^/  -rls  "j^J''"''".l.''^l\v\^  SlJ.^-l'Rh.SlhKX    l^of 


(    'ir/     .-V    ^    >.  /  /)  .V('A' 
W/i'J^/'rKSII'KX  I    of 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  ROBARTES  FAMILY     719 

Carew,  speaking  of  the  woods  in  Cornwall,  when  he 
compiled  his  Survey,  says  that  in  the  west  of  the  county 
they  were  scarce,  and  the  few  that  were  preserved  were 
principally  employed  in  making  charcoal  for  the  blow- 
ing-houses. "This  lacke,"  he  adds,  "they  supply 
either  with  steam-coal  from  Wales,  or  dried  turfes, 
some  of  which  are  also  converted  into  coal  to  serve  the 
tinners'  turne." 

From  the  charters  of  King  John  and  Edward  I  we 
learn  that  power  was  granted  to  the  tinners  to  take  turf 
and  wood  where  they  could  for  the  purpose  of  smelting 
the  ore  ;  but  as  the  woods  disappeared,  and  the  turf 
was  being  used  up  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  works, 
they  could  not  travel  to  great  distances  to  procure  the 
needful  fuel.  Richard  Roberts  saw  his  opportunity 
and  seized  it.  He  made  contracts  with  the  owners  of 
coppices  and  furzy  downs  and  peat  bottoms,  and 
gathered  his  supplies  in  one  great  store  at  Truro.  He 
did  more — he  obtained  coals  from  Wales,  and  sold  to 
the  mining  adventurers  at  a  handsome  profit  to  himself, 
thus  saving  them  the  waste  of  time  in  wandering  about 
obtaining  fuel  where  they  could.  Thus  he  laid  the 
foundations  of  a  business  that  was  largely  increased  by 
his  son  John.  But  this  latter  embarked  on  another 
branch  of  money-making.  He  lent  cash  to  the  adven- 
turers in  the  mines.  "As  poor  as  a  tinner  "  was  a  pro- 
verbial expression  in  Cornwall,  and  "a  tinner  is  never 
broke  till  his  back  is  broke."  But  if  the  working  miner 
remained  poor,  the  moneylender  waxed  wealthy  on  the 
miners'  work. 

Carew  observes  that  the  parishes  in  which  the  tin 
was  worked  were  in  a  "  meaner  plight  of  wealth  "  than 
those  which  were  agricultural.  Vast  amounts  of  tin 
were  raised,  but  little  of  the  profit  stuck  to  the  hands  of 
the  toilers  in  the  mines. 


720  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Tinning  was  not  carried  on  by  large  companies,  but 
by  small  men  ;  three  or  four  would  combine  to  take  a 
set.  They  cut  four  turves  at  the  bounds,  paying  a  certain 
sum  down  to  the  Duchy  or  to  the  private  owner  of  the 
land,  as  rent ;  and  also  owing  a  toll  of  the  tin  raised  to 
the  proprietor  of  the  land.  These  small  men  were 
without  capital,  and  they  were  constrained  to  borrow  of 
Roberts,  and  he  let  them  have  the  requisite  money  at  a 
rate  of  interest  we  should  consider  extortionate.  Queen 
Elizabeth  was  unable  to  borrow  money  of  the  estates  of 
Holland  under  25  per  cent,  and  we  may  judge  what 
would  be  the  rate  of  interest  demanded  by  the  usurer 
of  the  working  miner. 

But  that  was  not  all.  The  miner  did  not  pay  the 
interest  in  cash,  but  in  tin,  and  tin  at  the  value  pretty 
arbitrarily  laid  down  by  the  moneylender,  so  that  he 
had  the  adventurer  in  two  ways.  Nor  was  this  indeed  all. 
He  often  advanced  to  the  miner  not  cash  alone,  but  the 
tools  for  his  trade,  the  timber  for  shoring  up  the  shafts, 
and  the  machinery,  such  as  it  was,  for  pumping  the 
water  out  of  the  mines. 

There  was  an  additional  means  of  getting  money, 
and  also  of  acquiring  lands.  Carew  gives  us  a  curious 
account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  London  merchants 
of  his  time  took  advantage  of  any  want  of  money 
Cornish  gentry  in  London  might  experience  in  order 
to  defray  their  expenses  there,  by  binding  them  to 
furnish  tin  for  money  advanced,  at  great  ultimate  loss 
to  the  Cornish  men.  They  also  had  their  agents  in 
Cornwall,  who  advanced  money  to  the  needy  tinners, 
partly  in  wares  and  partly  in  money,  upon  agreement 
that  they  should  furnish  certain  quantities  of  tin  at  the 
next  coinage,  by  which  the  tinners  experienced  great 
loss. 

With  regard  to  the  loans  to  the  adventurers,  Roberts 


i 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  ROBARTES  FAMILY     721 

possessed  the  inestimable  advantage  of  being-  on  the 
spot,  and  so  prepared  to  supply  them  with  the 
fuel  and  the  capital  they  needed.  But  there  were 
Cornish  gentry  who  wanted  to  go  to  London,  and 
desired  loans  to  cover  their  expenses  in  town. 
They  went  to  Roberts :  he  furnished  the  supplies. 
As  may  be  well  expected,  these  gentry  did  not  make 
money  in  London,  they  became  greatly  impoverished 
there,  and  Roberts,  we  may  infer,  was  able  to  take  their 
estates,  or  large  slices  out  of  them,  on  the  security  of 
which  he  had  made  the  advances. 

How  hard  the  work  of  the  poor  tinners  was,  on  whom 
the  usurers  preyed,  we  learn  from  Carew.  *'In  most 
places,"  he  says,  ''their  toyle  is  so  extream,  as  they 
cannot  endure  it  above  four  hours  a  day,  but  are 
succeeded  by  spels  ;  the  residue  of  the  time  they  weare 
out  at  coytes,  kayles,  or  like  idle  exercises." 

Richard  Roberts,  the  son  of  John,  amassed  great 
wealth,  and  was  knighted  11  November,  1616.  At  this 
time  he  was  threatened  with  prosecution  by  the  Privy 
Seal  for  usury,  and  he  only  escaped  trial  by  paying  a 
bribe  of  ;^i  2,000.  He  bought  a  baronetcy  of  James  I 
in  1621,  and  was  created  Baron  Truro  in  1625.  One  of 
the  charges  brought  against  Buckingham,  when  im- 
peached in  the  House  of  Commons,  was  that  he  had 
received  a  bribe  of  i;'io,ooo  from  Richard  Roberts  for 
negotiating  for  him  his  elevation  to  the  Barony  of 
Truro.  This  is  confirmed  by  the  deposition  of  Roberts 
himself  {Calendar  State  Papers^  1677-8,  p.  220 ;  cf. 
1625-6,  p.  298). 

Richard  Roberts  married  Frances,  daughter  of  John 
Hender  of  Botreux  Castle  or  Boscastle,  a  co-heiress, 
and  died  in  1634.  He  was  evidently  a  very  shrewd  and 
grasping  man,  and  particularly  desirous  of  pushing 
ahead  and  obtaining  a  position  to  which  his  only  claim 
3  A 


722  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

was  wealth.  By  the  marriages  of  father  and  son,  the 
very  plebeian  family  of  Roberts  brought  strains  of 
gentle  blood  into  the  veins  of  their  descendants.  He 
it  was  who  built  the  stately  mansion  of  Lanhydrock. 
He  died  19th  April,  1634,  but  was  not  buried  at  Lan- 
hydrock till  July  4th  in  the  same  year. 

His  son  and  heir  John  Roberts,  second  Baron  Truro, 
was  sent  to  be  educated  at  Exeter  College,  Oxford.  He 
entered  as  Gentleman  Commoner  in  1625,  when  aged 
seventeen,  the  year  of  his  mother's  death.  At  college, 
according  to  Wood,  he  "sucked  in  evil  principles  both 
as  to  Church  and  State." 

By  his  marriage  with  the  Lady  Lucy,  daughter  of 
Robert  Rich,  Earl  of  Warwick,  he  became  allied  to  the 
leaders  of  the  opposition  among  the  peers,  and  during 
the  Long  Parliament  his  vote  was  almost  always  given 
with  the  popular  party  among  the  Lords.  He  was 
appointed  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Cornwall  in  1642,  and 
became  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  foot  in  the  army  of 
Lord  Essex.  He  fought  at  Edgehill,  and  commanded 
a  brigade  in  the  battle  of  Newbury.  In  1644  he  held 
the  position  of  Field  Marshal  in  the  army  of  Essex, 
and  he  was  with  him  in  the  west  when  he  advanced 
further  into  Cornwall,  getting  into  a  position  which 
eventually  led  to  a  humiliating  defeat,  among  a  popu- 
lation fanatically  affected  to  the  Royal  side. 

The  King  with  Prince  Maurice  was  in  full  pursuit, 
driving  him  into  a  corner,  the  narrow  extremity  of 
Cornwall.  The  King  was  now  joined  by  Sir  Richard 
Grenville  with  Cornish  levies,  cutting  off  some  of  the 
Parliamentarian  foraging  parties.  But  the  sea  as  yet 
was  open,  and  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  who  attended  the 
motions  of  the  army,  was  off  the  coast.  "  It  was  there- 
fore now  resolved  to  make  Essex's  quarters  yet  straiter, 
and  to  cut  off  even  his  provisions  by  sea,  or  a  good 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  ROBARTES  FAMILY     723 

part  thereof."  Fowey  was  in  the  possession  of  Essex, 
"and  it  was  exceedingly  wondered  at  by  all  men,  that 
he  being  so  long  possessed  of  Foy,  did  not  put  strong 
guards  into  the  place,  by  which  he  might  have  pre- 
vented his  army's  being  brought  into  these  extreme 
necessities."  Sir  Richard  Grenville  possessed  himself 
of  Lanbetherick,  a  strong  house  belonging  to  Lord 
Roberts,  and  lying  between  the  Parliamentarian  army 
and  the  little  harbour,  and  Sir  Jacob  Astley  made  him- 
self master  of  View  Hall,  which  was  opposite  to  Fowey, 
and  then  cut  off  supplies  from  reaching  the  camp  of 
Essex. 

For  eight  or  ten  days  the  armies  lay  inactive,  and 
then  Charles  drew  closer  the  toils  in  which  the  hostile 
army  was  held.  He  drove  them  from  a  rising  ground 
called  Beacon  Hill,  and  immediately  raised  a  square 
work  on  it,  and  placed  there  a  battery  that  threw  a 
plunging  fire  into  their  quarters.  Then  Goring  was 
sent  with  the  greatest  part  of  the  royal  horse,  and 
fifteen  hundred  foot,  to  S.  Blazey,  to  drive  the  enemy 
yet  closer  together,  and  to  cut  off  the  provisions  they 
received  from  that  direction.  The  dashing,  daring 
Goring  executed  his  commission  with  complete  success, 
and  the  Parliamentarians  were  reduced  to  that  small  strip 
of  land  that  lay  between  the  river  Fowey  and  that  of 
S.  Blazey,  which  was  not  above  two  miles  in  breadth 
and  little  more  in  width,  and  which  had  already  been 
eaten  bare  by  the  cavalry.  The  destruction  of  the 
whole  army  now  appeared  inevitable  ;  but  through  the 
carelessness  of  Goring,  one  dark  night  all  the  horse  of 
the  enemy  were  allowed  to  slip  unperceived  through 
the  lines,  on  the  night  of  the  30th  and  31st  August, 
1644,  and  the  Earl  of  Essex  with  Lord  Roberts  and 
many  of  his  officers  fought  his  way  to  the  shore  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Fowey,  and  there  they  embarked  on 


724  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

board  a  ship  which  Warwick  had  sent  round,  and 
sailed  away  to  Plymouth  on  September  ist,  leaving  the 
foot,  cannon,  and  ammunition  to  the  care  of  the  gallant 
Skippon,  who  had  nothing  left  for  it  but  to  make  the 
best  capitulation  he  could.  Essex  left  Roberts  in  com- 
mand at  Plymouth,  which  he  successfully  defended 
against  the  attacks  made  during  the  ensuing  months, 
and  his  popularity  is  attested  by  the  petitions  made  by 
the  Plymothians  that  he  might  be  left  in  command  of 
the  town. 

Lord  Roberts  must  have  suffered  considerably  in 
the  Civil  War,  for  his  estates  were  alienated  from  him 
and  granted  by  the  King  to  Sir  Richard  Grenville, 
whilst  his  home  of  Lanhydrock  was  occupied  by  the 
Royalists,  and  his  children  were  detained  from  him. 
He  was  a  staunch  Presbyterian,  hating  Prelacy,  be- 
lieving in  exclusive  salvation,  the  perquisite  of  those 
who  believed  in  Calvin,  and  he  had  no  love  for  the 
Independents. 

Since  1643  an  assembly  for  the  regulation  of  religion 
had  been  sitting  at  Westminster.  It  had  substituted 
Presbyterianism  for  the  Episcopacy,  as  the  established 
religion  of  England,  and  had  abolished  the  Prayer 
Book  and  issued  in  its  stead  a  book  called  the  Directory. 
These  changes  had  been  confirmed  by  Parliament. 
But  this  settlement  of  the  religious  question  was  quite 
contrary  to  the  views  of  the  Army,  which  was  mainly — 
at  all  events  that  portion  commanded  by  Cromwell  in 
the  North — composed  of  Independents. 

Sir  Harry  Vane,  Oliver  Cromwell,  Nathaniel 
Fiennes,  and  Oliver  St.  John,  the  solicitor-general, 
were  regarded  as  their  leaders.  Dissentions  broke  out 
in  the  House  of  Commons  ;  Cromwell  and  Lord  Man- 
chester cast  imputations  on  each  other.  Cromwell 
desired  to  remodel  the  Army,  of  which  the  House  of 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  ROBARTES  FAMILY     725 

Commons  had  already  become  suspicious,  and  how  to 
effect  this  project  was  the  difficulty,  and  his  object 
could  only  be  attained  by  a  circuitous  course.  At  his 
instance  a  committee  was  chosen  to  frame  what  was 
called  the  "Self-denying  Ordinance,"  by  which  the 
members  of  both  Houses  were  excluded  from  all  civil 
and  military  employments,  except  a  few  offices  which 
were  specified.  After  a  great  debate,  the  Ordinance 
passed  both  Houses  (April  3rd,  1645),  and  Essex, 
Warwick,  Manchester,  Denbigh,  Roberts,  and  many 
others  resigned  their  commands,  and  received  the 
thanks  of  Parliament  for  their  past  services. 

Lord  Roberts's  zeal  for  the  cause  rapidly  cooled.  He 
and  Essex  both  protested  against  the  passing  of  the 
Ordinance  on  March  13th,  1646,  that  made  the  new 
Presbyterian  Established  "Church"  subordinate  to 
Parliament. 

On  January  3rd,  1648,  it  was  passed  in  both  Houses 
that  thenceforth  no  addresses  should  any  more  be  sent 
to  the  King ;  he  was  virtually  dethroned,  and  the 
whole  constitution  was  formally  overthrown  ;  and  by 
orders  from  the  Army  the  King  was  shut  up  in  close 
confinement,  his  servants  removed,  and  his  corre- 
spondence with  his  friends  prevented.  When  the 
Army  threatened  to  intervene,  Roberts  deemed  it  his 
most  prudent  course  to  absent  himself  from  the  House 
of  Lords,  and  suffer  the  act  to  pass. 

He  took  no  part  in  the  trial  of  the  King,  and  after 
the  execution  of  Charles  withdrew  from  further  share 
in  public  affairs.  He  was,  however,  not  hostile  to  the 
Protectorate,  and  at  the  Installation  of  the  Protector 
he  suffered  his  son  to  be  in  his  train. 

At  the  Restoration  he  was  received  into  favour,  and 
became  a  Privy  Councillor,  and  was  appointed  Lord 
Deputy  of  Ireland,  and  Lord  Keeper  of  the  Privy  Seal 


726 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


in  May,  1661.     In  July,  1679,  he  was  created  Viscount 
Bodmin  and  Earl  of  Radnor. 

With  the  latter  part  of  his  life  we  have  no  concern,  as 
this  article  has  to  do  only  with  the  rise  of  the  family  of 
Roberts  to  an  Earldom  from  a  store  of  wood  and  furze, 
and  the  sordid  desk  of  an  usurer.  Pepys,  in  his  Diary, 
describes  him  as  "  a  very  sober  man,"  and  Clarendon 
as  "a  sullen,  morose  man,  intolerably  proud,"  and  as 
having  a  "  dark  countenance,"  and  Burnet  as  a  "  sullen 
and  morose  man."  He  died  July  17th,  1685.  His  son 
Robert  seems  to  have  deemed  it  expedient  to  differen- 
tiate his  family  name  from  the  thousands  of  Roberts's 
in  humble  life,  by  the  alteration  of  the  spelling  of  the 
name,  by  the  transfer  of  the  e  and  the  addition  of  an  «, 
and  the  vulgar  Roberts  bloomed  into  Robartes. 

The  motto  assumed  by  the  first  Lord  Roberts,  "quae 
supra"  expressed  the  sincere  aspiration  of  the  man, 
who  was  certainly  sincere  in  seeking  "those  things 
which  are  above,"  as  the  guiding  principle  of  his  life. 

The  Robartes  or  Roberts  family  became  extinct  in 
the  male  line  in  1757  ;  but  Mary  Vere  Robartes, 
daughter  of  the  Hon.  Russell  Robartes,  married 
Thomas  Hunt,  of  MoUington,  and  left  issue  Thomas 
Hunt,  who  had  an  only  child,  Anna  Maria,  who  mar- 
ried Charles  Reginald  Agar,  third  son  of  James, 
Viscount  Clifden,  and  carried  the  wealth  of  the 
Robartes  family  into  that  of  Agar ;  and  in  1822 
Thomas  James  Agar,  her  son,  assumed  the  name  and 
arms  of  Robartes,  and  was  created  Baron  Robartes  of 
Lanhydrock  and  Truro  in  1869.  The  descent  is,  how- 
ever, so  remote  and  through  females,  that  the  present 
family  can  hardly  be  considered  to  represent  the 
original   Robertes  or  Roberts  stock. 


THEODORE    PALEOLOGUS 

IN  the  church  of  Landulph  is  a  small  brass  attached 
to  the  wall  that  bears  the  following  inscription  : 
"Here  lyeth  the  body  of  Theodore  Paleologus, 
of  Pesaro  in  Italye,  descended  from  y'^  Imperyal 
lyne  of  y®  last  Christian  emperors  of  Greece,  being  the 
Sonne  of  Camillio,  y^  sonne  of  Prosper,  the  sonne  of 
Theodoro,  the  sonne  of  John,  y*'  sonne  of  Thomas, 
second  brother  of  Constantius  Paleologus,  the  8*^''  of 
that  name,  and  last  of  y*^  lyne  y*^  rayned  in  Constanti- 
nople until  subdued  by  the  Turks,  who  married  w*^ 
Mary,  y*=  daughter  of  William  Balls,  of  Hadlye  in 
Souffolke,  Gent.,  and  had  issue  5  children,  Theodore, 
John,  Ferdinando,  Maria,  and  Dorothy  ;  and  departed 
this  life  at  Clyfton,  y'^  21^*^  of  Jan^  1636."  Above  the 
inscription  are  the  imperial  arms  of  the  empire  of 
Byzantium — an  eagle  displayed  with  two  heads,  the 
two  legs  resting  upon  two  gates  ;  the  imperial  crown 
over  the  whole,  and  between  the  gates  a  crescent,  for 
difference  as  second  son. 

There  were  eight  Emperors  of  the  East  of  the  family 
of  the  Paleologi.  The  family  descended  from  a  General 
Andronicus  Paleologus,  who  died  in  1246.  The 
Emperor  Manuel,  who  deceased  in  1425,  had  five  sons  : 
John  II,  Emperor,  who  died  in  1449  ;  Theodore,  despot 
in  Lacedemon  ;  Andronicus,  despot  in  Thessalonica  ; 
Constantine,  despot  of  the  Morea.  John  II  was  as- 
sociated with  his  father,  and  succeeded  him.  Andro- 
nicus, the  second  son,  died  of  leprosy  in  1429.   Theodore, 

727 


i 


728  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

Constantine,  Demetrius,  and  Thomas  wasted  their 
resources  in  mutual  contests,  but  Theodore  was  con- 
strained to  adopt  the  monastic  profession.  On  the 
death  of  John  H  the  royal  family  was  reduced  to  three 
princes — Constantine,  Demetrius,  and  Thomas.  De- 
metrius at  once  claimed  the  vacant  throne,  but  failed  in 
his  attempt,  and  Constantine  succeeded,  the  last  and 
greatest  of  the  Paleologi.  "Demetrius  and  Thomas 
now  divided  the  Morea  between  them  ;  but  though 
they  had  taken  a  solemn  oath  never  to  violate  the 
agreement,  differences  soon  arose,  and  Thomas  took 
up  arms  to  drive  Demetrius  out  of  his  possessions  ; 
Demetrius  hereupon  retired  to  Asan,  his  wife's  brother, 
by  whose  means  he  obtained  succours  from  Amurath, 
and  compelled  Thomas  to  submit  the  matters  in  dis- 
pute to  the  Emperor's  (Constantine's)  arbitration.  But 
that  prince  refusing  to  deliver  to  his  brother  the 
territories  that  fell  to  his  share,  Mohammed  ordered 
Thuraken,  his  governor  in  the  Morea,  to  assist  De- 
metrius." 

Shortly  after  this,  on  the  fatal  May  29th,  1453,  Con- 
stantinople was  taken  by  the  Turks,  and  the  gallant       j-^j. 
Constantine  was  killed. 

Immediately  after  the  capture  Mohammed  proceeded 
to  make  war  on  Demetrius  and  Thomas,  whereupon 
the  Albanians,  subjects  of  Thomas,  revolted.  Fresh 
disputes  broke  out  between  the  brothers,  each  en- 
deavouring to  supplant  the  other,  and  in  1459  Moham- 
med entered  the  Morea  and  reduced  Corinth.  At 
the  first  news  of  his  approach  Thomas  fled  to  Italy 
with  his  wife  and  children,  and  Demetrius  submitted 
to  the  Sultan,  who  carried  him  away  to  Constantinople, 
where  he  died  in  abject  slavery  in  1470.  Thomas  was 
received  in  Italy  by  Pope  Pius  II  in  1461,  who  allowed 
him  a  pension  of  six  thousand  ducats. 


I 


Here  l\tth  the  body  of  Thzodoro  Paleologvs. 
OF  Pes.-jp.o  ::;  Ixa.l"ye  DzscE^rojD  from  y  L^lPErcaIL 

n7NF  OF  Y  LAST  C^iRIsnA.^.  EAiPEROKS  OF  GREECE. 
BEKG  THE  SONNE  OF  CA>iILIO,Y  SONE  OF  PROSPER 
ThE    SONNE  OF  TkeODORO,  TH!  SONNE  OF  lOHN.  Y 

s  ONNE  OF  Thomas.  seco>d  brofher  to  C  onstamtne 
Paleologvd.th:  5'^ of  that  name  and  last  of 

Y  LYNE  V  B.AYCNED  FN  CoNSXANTINOFLE.VT^TllL  SVB  = 
DEWED  BY  ry.'E.  TvTlFvES  WHOAURRIED  v/"MaRY. 

Y  DAVG^^^FH  of  William  B.aij.s  of  Hadl^it:  fn 

SOXTFOLKE.  CENT  Si  HAD  ISSX-E  5"  CIflLDREN.THEO= 
DOKO.  lOKN,  FeRDINANDO  AL'^RIA  9C  DoKOTHY  H  DE= 
:PTZD  THIS  LIFE  AT  ClyFTON.  Y  2I™0FIANVARYI(^36 


MEMORIAL    BRASS    L\    THE    CllUKCH    OF    LANDULI'H 

Reproduced hy permission  of  E.  H.  W.  DuiiJci/i,  Esq.,  F.S.A., 

from  /lis  book  on  Cornish  Brasses 


THEODORE    PALEOLOGUS  729 

Historians  record  only  two  sons,  Andrew  and  Manuel, 
but  according  to  the  inscription  in  Landulph  church 
there  was  a  third,  John,  whom  Italian  writers  have  not 
mentioned. 

Andrew,  the  eldest,  married  a  woman  from  the  streets 
of  Rome,  and  dying  childless,  in  1502,  bequeathed  his 
empty  honours  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  of  Spain, 
having  previously  sold  them  to  Charles  VIII  of  France. 
Manuel  Paleologus,  the  second  son,  revisited  his 
native  country.  He  was  granted  a  train  of  Christians 
and  Moslems  to  attend  him  to  his  grave.  Gibbon  says: 
'*  If  there  be  some  animals  of  so  generous  a  nature  that 
they  refuse  to  propagate  in  a  domestic  state,  the  last  of 
the  imperial  race  must  be  ascribed  to  an  inferior  kind  ; 
he  accepted  from  the  Sultan's  liberality  two  beautiful 
females  ;  and  his  surviving  son  was  lost  in  the  habit 
and  religion  of  a  Turkish  slave."  Thomas,  who  had 
been  despot  of  Morea,  died  in  1465.  By  his  wife, 
Catherine  Zaccaria,  he  had  one  daughter,  in  addition 
to  the  sons  mentioned,  and  this  was  Helen,  who  married 
Lazarus  II,  King  of  Servia,  and  died  in  1474. 

Why  Theodore  Paleologus  came  to  England  we  do 
not  know,  but  possibly  in  the  train  of  Sir  Henry  Killi- 
grew  and  Sir  Nicholas  Lower.  Sir  Nicholas  had 
married  Sir  Henry's  daughter,  and  as  they  were  both 
advanced  in  life  and  childless  they  may  have  been 
disposed  to  befriend  the  Paleologi,  and  Lady  Killigrew 
was  one  of  the  learned  daughters  of  Sir  Anthony  Coke, 
celebrated  for  her  knowledge  of  Greek,  and  she  may 
have  inspired  her  daughter.  Lady  Lower,  with  the 
same  fondness  for  the  classic  languages.  This  is  but 
conjecture  ;  but  this  at  least  is  certain,  that  the  Paleologi 
were  given  Clifton,  in  Landulph,  as  their  residence,  and 
this  was  a  mansion  that  belonged  to  the  Lowers. 

Theodore  Paleologus  married  Mary  Balls  in   161 5, 


730  CORNISH    CHARACTERS 

and  by  her  had  three  sons,  Theodore,  John,  and  Fer- 
dinando,  and  two  daughters. 

Theodore  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Parliamentary 
army  in  1642,  under  Lord  St.  John,  and  was  buried  in 
Westminster  Abbey  in  1644. 

There  are  no  traces  to  be  found  of  John  and  Fer- 
dinando.  Mary,  one  of  the  daughters  of  Theodore  and 
Mary  Balls,  died  unmarried,  and  was  buried  at  Landulph 
in  1674.  Her  sister  Dorothy  married,  in  1656,  William 
Arundell,  and  died  in  1681,  he  in  1684. 

There  was  a  Theodore  Paleologus  who  died  at  sea 
on  board  the  Charles  II  under  Captain  Gibson,  in 
1693.  In  his  will  Theodore  mentions  only  his  wife 
Martha,  and  we  do  not  know  who  was  his  father. 

We  do  not  know  who  was  the  William  Arundell 
whom  Dorothy  Paleologus  married.  Unhappily  the 
registers  of  S.  Dominic,  where  she  and  her  husband 
lived,  have  been  lost,  and  we  cannot  say  whether  the 
Mary  Arundell  who  married  a  Francis  Lee  soon  after 
the  death  of  her  presumed  parents  was  a  daughter. 
But  if  so,  as  Dr.  Jago  suggests  in  a  paper  in  the 
Archceologia,  "The  imperial  blood  perhaps  still  flows 
in  the  bargemen  of  Cargreen." 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Abbot,  Archbishop,  334 
Abder-Rhuman,  715 
Abercrombie,  Dr.,  427,428 
Aberdeen,  University  of,  34 
Abingdon,  127 
Abyssinia,  Prince  of,  599 
Account  of  the   Desperate  Affray  in 

Blean  Wood,  etc.,  612 
Account  of  the  English  Colony  of  A^ew 

South  Wales,  568 
Account  of  R.  Jeffery,  257 
Acharnania,  508 
Acombe,  12 
Acton,  403,  477.  673 
Actor,  Mr.,  275 
Adams,  252 
Adams,  John  Couch,  189 

—  birth  and  upbringing,  84 

—  character  of,  88,  89,  90 

—  discoverer  of  Neptune,  86,  88 

—  early  observation,  84 
Adams,  Mr.,  322,  714 
Adams,  Mr.  John,  463 
Adams,  Thomas,  83 
Adams,  William  Grylls,  89,  90 
Addison,  Joseph,  644 
Admiral  Hood,  602 

Admiralty  order  replacement  of  logan 

stone,  20,  23 
Adoption  of  poor  children,  533 
Adour,  504 
Advent,  425 
Adventure  Series,  708 
Adventures  of  a   Younger  Son,  445, 

452,  454 
/Etna,  267 

Agamemnon's  tomb,  448 
Agar,  Charles  R.,  726 
Agar,  Thomas  James,  726 
Age  of  Reason,  358 
Agnes,  649 
Agnus  Dei,  656 
Agreeable  Surprise,  The,  469 


Ainsworth,    Harrison,    on   "Courte- 

nay,"  605 
Airy,  86,  88 
Alarm,  664 
Albanian  revolt,  728 
Albert,  Prince,  621 
Albion,  248,  249 
Alderton,  487 
Aldrich,  Dean,  213 
Alexander,  559,  561 
Alexander  the  Great,  300 
Alexandria,  459,  686 
Algerine  Corsair  at  Penzance,  130 
Algerine  pirates,  332 
Algiers,  507,  617,  715 
Ali  Pacha,  508-514 

—  at  home,  510-513 

—  human  butcher,  509 
All,  the  five  alls,  550 
Allen,  river,  118 
Alligator,  196 

Alligators  attract  patients,  632 

All  the  Year  Round,  93 

Almanza,  12 

Altarnon,  73,  80,  186,  187,  190 

Amaza,  416 

Amell,  340 

Ames,  Dr.  William,  34 

Ammonites,   superstition  concerning 

origin  of,  4 
Amurath,  728 
Anagram  of  Noye,  339 
Andalusian  Moors,  711 
Anderson,  Captain,  62 
Andromache,  505 
"Angel,  The,"  542 
Anglesea,  Earl  of,  298 
Anglo-Mexican  Company,  493 
Anguella,  251 
Annals  ofKingJaines,  615 
Anne  of  Bohemia,  433 
Anne,    Queen,    219,    299,  307,   310, 

318,  372,  639 


733 


734 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Annesley,  Lady  Philippa,  298 

Annual  liegister,  58 

Annual  Report  of  the  Society  of  Arts, 

64  note 
Anson,  H.M.S.,  salvage  of,  62 

—  wreck  of,  60,  71 
Anson,  Lord,  158 
Antony  and  Cleopatra,  205 
Antigua,  320 

Antiquities  of  Cornzvall,  18 
Antony  ferry,  225 
Antwerp,  26 

Anyada,  250 

Antelope,  645 

Anthem,  Cornish,  577 

Antiquary,  The,  547 

Ap  Rice,  Mr.,  288 

Arabia,  Prince  of,  600 

Ararat,  406 

Arbuthnot,  Sir  Charles,  529 

ArchiEologia,  730 

Arcot,  159,  164 

Argand  lamp,  202 

Argos,  448 

Argus,  689 

Argyro-Kastro,  509 

Arithmetic,  Walkinghame's,  3 

Arms  of  Braddon  family,  107 

—  of  Byzantine  Empire,  727 

—  of  Call  family,  155,  167 

—  of  Clobery  family,  231 

—  of  Foote  family,  280 

—  of  Jane  family,  206 

—  of  Lake  family,  251 

—  of  Noye  family,  341 

—  of  Pennington  family,  224 

—  of  Robartes  family,  726 

—  of  Sandys  family,  374 

—  of  Tillie  family,  402,  405 

—  of  Tilly  family,  407 

—  of  Wills  family,  12 
Armstrong,  Major,  609,  610,  613 
Around  a)id  about  Saltash,  665 
Arslan,  508 

Arta,  508 

Arundell,  646 

Arundel  family,  the,  157 

Arundel,  Earl  of,  435 

Arundell,  Henry,  Lord,  173 

Arundell,  Humphrey,  588,  589,  591 

Arundell,  Mary,  730 

Arundell,  Roger,  592 

Arundell,  Sir  John,  136,  661 

Arundell,  Sir  Thomas,  137 

Arundell,  William,  730 


Arundel  Street,  301 
Arwenack,  133,  134,  135,  137,  140 
Asan,  728 
Ashburton,  200 
Ashfield,  Dame,  468-9 
Assassinations  and  Civil  IVars,  426 
Assistance,  H.M.S.,  488 
Association,  wreck  of  the,  640,  643, 

647,  651 
Astley,  203 

Astley,  Sir  Jacob,  126,  723 
Aston  Clinton,  251 
Astronomy,  86 

Astronomy,  ignorance  of,  593 
As  You  Like  It,  467 
Atheineurn,  88,  452 

—  founded  by  Buckingham,  464 
Athens,  446,  452 

Atkins,  Sir  Robert,  loi 

Atlas,  181 

Atterbury,  219 

"Auction  of  Pictures,  An,"  287 

Audrey,  516 

Augsberg  Island,  420 

Aunt  flavor's  Storybooks,  622 

Authentic  Account  of  the  late  tn  fortu- 
nate Death  of  Lord  Camelford, 
328 

Authentic  Metnoirs  of  the  Green 
Room,  467,  469 

Author,  The,  288 

Autobiography  of  a  Cornish  Smuggler, 

473 
Autobiography  of  John  LLarris,  697 
Avalon  Peninsula,  265 
Avery,  Captain  John,  173 
Avery,  Dr.,  194 
Ayres,  Mr.,  119 
Azila,  714 

Babbage,  88 

Badcock,  John,  volunteers  for  Terra 
del  Fuego,  233 

—  dies  of  privations,  235 
Bagdad,  462 

Bagshot  Heath,  672 

Bahia,  422 

Bailey,  Mr.,  188 

Baker,  Mr.  Henry,  105,  347,  351 

Ball,  John,  432 

Ball,  Lieutenant,  565 

Ballads,  "  Chevy  Chase,"  703 

—  "  The  fight  of  the  Monmouth  and 

Foudroyant,"  377 

—  *'  The  Highwayman,"  630 


INDEX 


735 


Ballads,  "Rosamond  Clififord,"  703 

—  "Rule  Britannia,"  377 

—  sung  by  Incledon,  386 

—  "The  Storm,"  380,  386 

—  '"Twas  Thursday,"  377 

—  of  wrestling,  58 
Ballot  Society,  627 
Balls,  Mary,  727,  729 

—  William,  727 
Baltic,  67 

Banks,  Sir  Joseph,  233,  679 

Bannister,  3S0 

Banns  of  marriage,  578 

Bantry  Bay,  638 

Banza,  419 

Baptista,  Signor,  552 

Barabbas,  40 

Barbados,  623 

Barcelona,  477,  640 

Barff,  Mr.,  451 

Barjleur,  261 

Bargus,  Mr.  Samuel,  262,  264 

Barlow,  Bishop,  32 

Barming  Heath,  603 

Barnardiston,  Sir  Samuel,  483,  484 

Barnstaple,  455,  659,  665 

Baronetage,  156 

Baron  Munchausen'' s  Travels,  2 

Barrey,  Lord,  547 

Barrie,  Captain,  327 

Barrington,  Admiral,  238 

Barrington,  Hon.  Daines,  238,  241 

—  visits  Dolly  Pentreath,  239,  240 
Barrow,  Sir  John,  415,  423 
Barthlever,  528 
Ba?-tholot?ieiv  Fair,  271,  552 
Bartlett,  Rafe,  388,  393,  397 

—  confession  of,  389,  395 
Barwell,  Nabob,  525 
Barwick,  Dr.  J.,  45 
Baseley,  Richard,  388,  397 

—  confession  of,  389,  392,  394 
Bashaw,  Inglis,  716 

Basset,  Sir  Francis,  519 

Bassiere,  314 

Bafavia,  568 

Bate,  Mrs.,  346 

Bath,  198,  200,  290,  377,  466 

—  Cathedral,  Lady  Chapel  of,  32 
Bath,  Earl  of,  182,  183,  1S4 
Bathurst,  Mr.  C,  253,  256 
Battye,  Philadelphia,  165 

—  William,  165 
Bawden,  Giles,  540 
Baxter,  Richard,  209 


Bayonne,  196,  504,  505 
Bay  of  Biscay,  489 
Beacon  Hill,  723 
Beaver,  321 

Beddoes,  Dr.  Thomas,  676 
Bedford,  Earl  of,  139 
Behethlan,  614;  see  Bohelland. 
Behethlan,  Joan,  614 

—  John,  614 

—  Margery,  614 
Beirout,  597,  599 
Bell,  Lieut.  John,  64 
Bell-casting,  224-6 
Bell-founders,  224,  225,  226 
Bell-ringing,  competitions,  223 

—  mysterious,  2S4 

—  song  of,  223 
Bells,  baptism  of,  222 

—  inscriptions  on,  222 

—  removed,  592 
Belle  Poitle,  505 
Bellingham,  Mr.,  427,  430 
Bellot,  Anne,  516,  517 

—  Christopher,  516 
Bemba  Ganga,  417 
Ben, John, 649 
Benbovv,  Admiral,  372 
Bennett,  Lieutenant,  609,  610 
Bentinck,  Mr.  Cavendish,  634 
Berat,  509 

Beresford,  Lord  Charles,  669 

Bergh,  47 

Berkeley,  Earl  of,  647 

—  Hon.  Charles,  140 

—  Sir  G.  Cranfield,  648 
Berlin,  The,  70 
Bermuda,  35 

Berne,  319 

Berry,  Mr.,  418 

Berry  Pomeroy,  592 

Bessie's  Cove,  470 

Best,  Captain  Thomas,  479 

—  Mr.,  324-8,  519 
Beveridge,  215 
Biagi,  D.  Guido,  454 
Bible  explains  fossils,  4 
Bibliographia  Corimbiensis,  556  note 
Bibliotheia  Cornubiensis,  245 
Bideford,  633 

Bignell,  George  Carter,  141 

—  early  life  of,  144 

—  entomologist,  147-153 
Bignor,  517 

Bingham,  Captain,  299 
Biographica  Drainaiica,  296 


736 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Biogfaphical  Dictionary  of  English 

Catholics,  556  note 
Biographical  Dictionary  of  Poets,  231 
Biographical  Sketches  in    Cornwall^ 

340 
Birmingham,  467 
Birthday,    The,  469 
Bishop  and  his  Clerks,  640 
Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  32 

—  of  Carlisle,  89 

—  of  Exeter,  140,  219,  425 

—  of  Lichfield,  32 

—  of  London,  27,  43,  215 

—  of  Oxford,  207 

—  of  Rochester,  213 

—  of  Salisbury,  211 

—  of  S.  David's,  32 

—  of  Winchester,  643,  649 
Black  Friars,  The,  544 

"  Black  Lion,"  144 
Black  Sea,  67 
Blackwood,  John,  648 

—  Shovell,  648 
Blague,  Thomas,  127 
Blake,  Admiral,  45 
Blanchard,  Mr.,  608 
Blanche,  248,  250 
Blean,  The,  607,  612 
Blejiheiin,  260 
Blewett,  George,  343 
Bligh  boy  sees  ghost,  74-80 
Bligh,  Edmund,  81 

—  family,  the,  74,  79,  8I 

—  Mr.,  74,  81,  701 

—  Thomas,  81 

—  Walter,  Si 
Blight,  Mr.  J.  T.,  143 
Blockly,  81 
Bloomsbury,  165 
Blossom  Underwing,  149 
"  Blue  Boar's  Head,"  542 
Board  of  Trade,  68 

Boase  &  Courtney,  Messrs.,  556  note 

—  Dr.,  680 

Boat-races  at  Saltash,  663 
Bochym,  517 

Boconnoc,  298,  317,  318,  319,  328 

Bodannan,  280 

Bodener,  William,  242 

Bodleian  Library,  615 

Bodmin,  37,  117,  120,  121,  125,  133, 
166,  179,  224.  225,  226,  280, 
351.  455,  5if^.  520,  522,  531, 
535,  569,  57^,  5S9.  627,  659, 
663,  678 


Bodmin  Asylum  and  its  inhabitants, 
570-572 

—  Gaol,  531,  540,  542,  570,  583 

—  Hills,  92 

—  Moors,  84,  573,  628 

—  Viscount,  726 
Body,  William,  587 
Bohelland,  614 

—  mysterious  tragedy  at,  616-619 
Bolennowe  Hill,  692 
Bolventro,  628 

Bombay,  445,  460,  462 

—  governed  by  Keigwin,  479-487 

—  Castle,  480 
Bomeny,  103 

Bonaparte,     Prince     Louis     Lucien, 

242 
Bonaventura,  Thomasine,  attractive 

widow,   113 

—  benefactress,  114-I16 

—  goes  to  London,  no,  113 

—  shepherd  girl,  109 
Bond,  Mr.,  92 
Bond,  Thomas,  681 
Bonde,  418 

Bond  Street,  320,  325,  385 
Borlase,  Dr.  Bingham,  239,  676 

—  his  account  of  the  Logan,  18,  22 
Borleau,  104 

Boroughs,  pocket,  518 
Borrowdale,  559 
Boscastle,  721 
Boscawen,  130 

—  family,  the,  500,  525,  554 
Boscawen,  Hugh,  706 
Boscawen,  Rev.  A.   C,  684 
Bossenden  Farm,  603,  607 
Bossenden  Wood,  608,  613 
Bossewell,  John,  554 
Bossiney,  518 

Boston,  53 
Bosworgy,  341 
Botany  Bay,  319 
— •  settlement  at,  559-564 
Botathan,  74,  81,  82,  701 
Botreux  Castle,  721 
Botusfleming,  12 
Boughton-under-Blean,     603,      606, 

609,  612 
Boulogne,  332 
Bouverie,  Hon.  Philip,  649 
Bouverie,  Sir  Jacob,  649 
Bovey  Heathfield,  geological  features 

of,   7 
Bovey  Iracey,  226 


INDEX 


737 


Bow,  Rev.  Dr.,  613 

Bow  Street,  380,  381 

Bowden,  Elizabeth,  138 

Boyer,  Nicholas,  Mayor  of  Bodmin, 

executed,  589,  590 
Boyne,  burnt,  258,  259 
Bracegirdle,  Mrs.,  299,  300 

—  and  Capt.  Hill,  300-4 
Braddock  Down,  206 
Braddon  family,  arms  of,  107 
Braddon,  Captain  William,  96 
Braddon,  Laurence,  96,  107 

—  attacks  Bishop  Burnet,  106 

—  Author  of  Enquiry,  104,  106 

—  imprisoned  and    tried,    99,    100, 

102 

—  reports  murder  of  Essex,  98-103 
Bradshaw,  Sir  Thomas,  40 
Bradstone,  228 

Braganza,  479 

Brandon,  386 

Bray,  Charity,  593 

Bray,  C. ,  699,  note 

Bray,  Mrs.,  on  Bothathan  ghost,  72 

—  on  Polperro,  247 
Breage,  342,  370,  580,  585 
Breage  Churchtown,  478 
Brember,  Sir  Nicholas,  435 
Brendon  &  Son,  578 
Brent  Eleigh,  556 
Brentford,  318 

Brenton,  Captain,  259 

Brereton,  Major,  162 

Brest,  60,  259,  477 

Brian,  Sir  Hussey,  603 

Bribery  at  Elections,  518-530 

Bridgerule,  108,  226 

Bridges,  Admiral  Sir  G.,  377 

Bridgwater,  36 

Brief    Relation    of    State    Affairs, 

403 

Brighton,  387 

Bristol,    37,    281,    282,    439,    670, 

676 
Bristol,  Earl  of,  376 
Britannia,  405 
British  Association,  the,  8,  87 
British  Family  Antiquity,   154,  168 
British  and  Foreign  Institute,  465 
British  Museum,  613,  680 
Brixham,  8 

—  geological  features  of,  7 
Broad  Sound,  644 
Brompton  Crescent,  382,  383 
Bronnaker,  Lord,  552 


Brook,  Sir  Arthur,  714 
Brooke,  Benjamin,  53 
Broom  Hill,  182 
"Brown  Bear,  The,"  381 
Brown,  Dr.  Robert,  708,  715 
Brown,  John,  391,  392 
Brown,  Mrs.,  580 
Brown  Willy,  84,  85,  109 
Browne,  Hamilton,  446 
Browne,  Mrs.,  301,  303 
Browne,  Sir  Richard,  545 
Bruce,  Eliza,  90 
Bruce,  Haliday,  90 
Brulgruddery,  Mrs.,  46S,  469 
Brunei's  bridge,  Saltash,  663 
Brunswick,  H.M.S.,  667 
Brunton,  468 

Bryant,   John    Davy,    volunteers  for 
Terra  del  Fuego,  233 

—  dies  of  hardships,  236 
Brydges,  Captain,  462 
Buchanan,  Robert,  209 
Buckhurst,  Lord,  305 
Buckingham,  Christopher,  455 
Buckingham  family,  the,  455 
Buckingham,  George,  665  note 
Buckingham,  James,  465 
Buckingham,  James  Silk,  a  youthful 

prisoner,  in  love,  458 

—  character  of,  455,  464 

—  explores  in  Egypt,  460 

—  founds   British    and   Foreign    In- 

stitute, 465 

—  in  conflict  with  East  India  Com- 

pany, 460-5 

—  a  linguist,  458,  462 

—  literary  ventures  of,  463,  464 

—  quells  corn  riot,  457 

—  suffers  for   his   love   of  freedom, 

462,  463 

—  suggests  Suez  Canal,  459 

—  to  India  in  disguise,  462 
Buckingham,  Leicester  F.  Y.,  465 
Buckingham,  Earl  of,   170,  172,  173, 

524,  552,  721 
Bude,  115,  182,204,  205 
Bude  Haven,  570 
Bude  light,  202 
Budget  of  Paradoxes.  90 
Buggs,  Sir  Anthony,  500 
Bull,  Rev.  G.  B.,  695 
Buller,  Charles,  189 
Buller  family,  86 
Buller,  Mr.,  652 
Bulwer,  Henry  Lytton,  448 


3  B 


738 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Bunsby,  Richard,  113 

Burton,  Joe,  627 

Burton,   John,    falls   over   the   stile, 

—  his  Curiosity  Shop,  633 

—  invests  in  alligators,  632 

—  rudeness  of,  634 

—  rules  for  living,  635 

—  spends  Christmas  Eve  at  Jamaica 

Inn,  627-31 

—  Whiteley  in  curiosities,  632 

—  writes  to  the  King,  634 
Burton,  John,  jun.,  636 
Burton,  Joseph,  627 
Burton,  William,  419,  420 
Burton's  Stile,  631 
Burdett,  Sir  Francis,  253 
Burge,  Arthur,  219 
Burke,  Sir  Bernard,  299 
Burley,  Sir  Simon,  434 
Burlorn,  117,  119,  120,  121 
Burnard,  Mr.,  87 
Burnard,  George,  186 

Burnard,   Nevil  Northey,  on  tramp, 
190 

—  success  in  London,  18S 

—  works  in  slate,  186,  187 
Burnet,  Bishop,  41,  45,  53,  211,  214, 

216,  218,  543 

—  on  death  of  Essex,  ic6 

—  on  the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  310 

—  on  Lord  Mohun,  308 

—  on  Lord  Roberts,  726 

—  on  nonjurors,  213 
Burns,  Robert,  695,  699 
Burrow,  Bessie,  470,  473 
Buryan,  329,  341 

Bury  S.  Edmunds,  140 

Bussy,  160,  162 

Butler,  Samuel,  44 

Butt's  Head  Mill,  666 

Byng,  Sir  George,  640 

Byron,  Captain,  340 

Byron,  Lord,  and  Trelawny,  446,  452 

Cadiz,  123,  131,  259,  503 
Cadogan,  Lord,  15 
Cadwalader,  288 
Caermarthen,  Lord,  305 
Cailland,  General,  164 
Cairo,  459 

Caius  Coll.  Cam.,  73 
Cake  House,  314,  316 
Calais,  296 
Calamy,  41,  214 


Calamy  on  Jane,  220 

Calcutta,  161,  463 

Calcutta  Mirror,  463 

Calendar  of  Victory,  626 

Cale7idar  State  Papers,  721 

California,  233 

Call  family,  the,  154,  156,  167 

— ■  arms  of,  155,  167 

Call,  John,  157 

Call,  Sarah,  157 

Call,  Sir  John,  154,  157,  166 

—  benefacts  his  sister,  165 

—  his  campaign  in  India,  158-165 

—  M.P.  for  Callington,  167 
Call,  Sir  W.  G.  M.,  167 
Call,  William  Berkeley,  167 
Call,  William  Pratt,  167 
Calhnack,  Mrs.,  see  Kelynack 
Callington,  155,  167,  171,  518 
Callywith,  627 

Calvin,  724 

Calvinists  v.  Arminians,  357 

Camborne,  364,  692,  664,  699 

Camborne,  Vean  Mine,  581 

Cambria,  492,  494 

Cambridge,   27,  73,  85,  87,  89,  90, 

228,  231,516,  556 
Cambridge,  Duke  of,  465 
Camden,  405 
Camden,  Lord,  409 
Camelford,  83,  424-426,  518 
Camelford,  first  Baron,  319 
Camelford,  last  Lord,  acquitted,  quits 

Navy,  322 

—  birth  and  education  of,  319 

—  duel  with  Mr.  Best,  324-327 

—  embroiled  in  town,  323,  324 

—  his  crazy  scheme  of  assassination, 

322 

—  on  the  Guardian,  319 

—  shoots  Peterson,  321 

—  under  arrest,  320,  321 
Camisards,  639 
Campbell,  General,  275 
Candish,  Lord,  298 

Cann,      Abraham,      wrestles      with 

Polkinghorne,  55 
Cann  Wood,  148 
Cannington,  407 
"  Canterburiensis,"  on  John  N.  Tom, 

597' 613  ^        ^        ^ 

Canterbury,  31,  599,  602,  609,  612, 

613 
Canterbury,     Archbishop     of,     211, 

215.  291,  437 


INDEX 


739 


Canterbury  Bell,  607 

Cape  Finisterre,  707 

Cape  Horn,  234 

Cape  of  Good  Hope,  124,  320,  409, 

459.  479,  560 
Cape  Padrone,  411 
Cape  Spartel,  714 

Cape  S.  Vincent,  battle  of,  259,  260 
Cape  Verde  Is.,  410 
Capell,  Lord,  100 
Capern,  Edward,  699 
Capgrave,  557 

Cap'n  Toby,  see  Tobias  Martin 
Capuchin,  The,  295 
Caradon,  84 
Caran  Yellatu,  415 
Carbura,  554 

Carclew,  86,  187,  344,  345 
Cardinham,  280 
Carew,  109,  114 
Carew,  Mr.,  243 
Carew,  Thomas,  546 
Carew,  554,  652 

—  on  tin-mining,  720 

—  on  trees  in  Cornwall,  719 
Carfax,  207 

Cargreen,  730 

Carhayes,  395 

Carlisle,  89 

Carlisle,  Sir  Anthony,  203 

Carlyle^  Thomas,  189 

Carlyon,  C,  122,  229 

Carlyon,  Dr.  Clement,  427 

Carmichael,  Lord,  648 

Carnan  Adit,  343 

Carnanton,  329,  340,  341 

Carnwark,  Lord,  15 

Carpenter,  General,  13 

Carpenter,  William,  366 

Carrick  Gladden,  172 

Carrick  Roads,  456 

Carter,  Agnes,  471 

Carter,  Betsy,  478 

Carter,  Charles,  476,  478 

Carter  family,  the,  471 

Carter,  Francis,  471 

Carter,  Frank,  478 

Carter,  Henry,  imprisoned  in  France, 

474.  477 

—  the  biter  bit,  474 

—  a  pious  smuggler,  471,  473,  477 
Carter,  John,  275 

—  a  daring  smuggler,  471,  472 

—  imprisoned  at  Dinan,  474 

—  King  of  Prussia,  471,  478 


Case  of  the    Unjortunate   Bosavern 

Penlez,  274 
Casland,  133 

Castell-an-Dinas,  682,  683 
Castile,  434 
Castle  Horneck,  240 
Castle,  Mr.,  589 
Castlemaine,  Lady,  550 
Catalonia,  267 
Catenary  Curve,  678 
Cathayes,  395 
"Cat  Harris,"  287 
Catherine  of  Braganza,  479 
Catt,  George,  610 
Caulfield,  James,  48,  369 
Cawsand,  354,  474,  476 
Cecil,  James,  275 
Cecil,  Lord,  32 
Cecil  Street,  276 
Cephalonia,  446,  448 
Ceriziers,  126,  128 
Cevennes,  639 
Chacewater,  54 
Challenger,  505 
Challis,  Professor,  87,  89 
Challoner,  Mr.,  556,  note 
Chaloner,  36 

Chambers'sy(?z<r;/a/,  257,  680 
Chammond  family,  the,  165 
Champernon,  Mr.,  592 
Champion.  Sir  Richard,  389 
Channel  Fleet,  60 
Chantrey,  187,  188 
Chantrey,  Lady,  vandalism  of,  188 
Chapman,  Edward,  falls  into  a  shaft, 

701-703 
Chapman,  John,  701 
Charing  Cross,  295 
Charles  I,   26,  31,  35,  41,  51,   127, 

128,    154,    182,   206,   208,    329, 

334,  338,  407,   544,   675,    718, 

722,  725 

—  execution  of,  42 

—  imprisonment  of,  39 

Charles  H,  96,   102,   107,    128,   207, 
280,  479,  480,  482,  544,  549 

—  lax  government  of,  549,  551 
Charles  II,  730 

Charles  V,  30 
Charles  VHI,  729 
Charles,  Prince,  41 
Charles's  Wain,  84 
Charlotte,  559 
Charlotte,  Queen,  192 
Charter  House,  319 


740 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Chateaulin,  222 
Chateau-Renaud,  638 
Chatham,  377,  609 

—  Earl  of,  318 
Chatterton,  Thomas,  228,  231 
Chavis,  John  de,  137,  138 
Cheapside,  392 
Cheesewring,  91,  93 
Chelsea  Hospital,  17 
Cheltenham,  199,  232 
Cherbourg,  408 

Cheshire,  Widow,  469 

Chestnuts,  573 

Chatham  Society,  279 

Chiandower,  342 

Chichester,  261 

Chichester  of  Hall,  701 

Chichester,  Elizabeth,  398 

Chichester,  Sir  John,  398,  592 

Chilcott,  Charles,  185 

Child,  John,  of  Surat,  482-486 

Child,  Mr.  Paxton,  646 

Child,  Sir  Joshua,  nefarious  schemes 

of,  482-487 
Childe  Harold,  695 
Child'' s  First  Prayer,  The,  697 
Chiltern  Hundreds,  527 
Chinglapett,  159 
Chiverton,  Elizabeth,  402,  403,  404, 

407 
Chiverton,  Sir  Richard,  403,  407 
Cholwel,  115 
Christ    Church,    Oxford,    207,    210, 

213,  220,  544 
Christiania,  409 
Christmas  Eve  at  Jamaica  Inn,  627- 

631 
Christopher,  Thomas,  532 
Church  of  England,  position  of,  30 
Cibber,  Colley,  299 
Cileniis,  554 

City  of  London  Inn,  322 
Claracilla,  548 
Clackmannan,  204 
Clarendon,  Earl  of,  43,  206 

—  on  Lord  Roberts,  726 
^  on  Noye,  332 
Clark,  Samuel,  178 
Clarke,  Dr.,  361 
Claxton,  17 

Cleave,  Thomas,  223,  224 
Clement,  T.,  274 
Clemo,  Miss,  627 
Cleopatra,  500,  502 
Cleoyan,  591 


Clergy,  character  of,  31,  32,  33 

Cleve,  8 

Cleveland,  Marquess  of,  530 

Clifden,  James,  Viscount,  726 

Clifton,  126,  676,  727,  729 

Clive,  Lord,  159,  164,  487 

Clobery  arms,  231 

Clobery,  Dr.  Glynn,  228 

Clobery,  John,  228 

Clobery,  Lucy,  228 

Clobery,  Mary,  228 

Clobery,  William,  228 

Clowance,  364,  367 

Clyst  Heath,  588 

Coad,  Benjamin,  248,  583 

Cobb,  Captain,  490 

Cobbett's  Register,  257 

Cobbett,  William,  464,  520,  522 

—  in  America,  688 
Cochrane,  Mr.,  523 

Cochrane,  Sir  Alexander,  252,  253, 

255 
Cockburne,  Rev.  W.,  327,  328 
Cocks,  Lieut. -Col.  George,  264 
Coffee,  introduction  of,  482 
Coffin,  Mr.,  588 
Coke,  Christopher,  706 
Coke,  Edward,  706 
Coke  family,  the,  704 
Coke,  Francisj  706 

—  John,  ill-gotten  gains  of,  705 
Coke,  Lance,  706 

Coke,  Sir  Anthony,  729 

Coke,  solicitor,  execution  of,  51,  52 

Coke,  Thomas,  706 

Colebrook,  398 

Coleridge,  Derwent,  59 

Coles  of  Reading,  iii 

Collection  of  State  Papers,  53 

College  Green,  Bristol,  281,  282 

Collier,  Mr.  W.  F.,  572,  578 

CoUingwood,  Captain,  259,  260,  261, 

267 
CoUingwood,  Admiral,  445 
Collins,  David,  568 
Collins,  Rev.  G.,  697 
Colman,  George,  293,  295 
Colman,  Mr.,  377 
Colman,  Mr.  Edward,  556 
Cologne,  127 
Colomb,  Colonel,  53 
Colonial  State  Papers,  35 
Colston,  Launcelot,  105 
Coltman,  Mr.  Justice,  121 
Comber,  river,  59 


I 

i 
f 


INDEX 


741 


Commercial  Inn,  145 

Compajtion  to  the  Playhouse,  The,  548 

Conipleat  Lawyer,  33 1 

Comprehension  Bill,  211,  218 

Compton,  215 

Compton  Castle,  227 

Compton,  Henry,  207,  220 

Conception  Bay,  265 

Conduit  Street,  324 

Confederate  Fleet,  639 

Congo,  409,  418,  419,  420 

Congo,  Exploration  of,  409-23 

Congreve,  Sir  William,  66 

Connecticut,  Governor  of,  28 

Connor,  Caroline,  465 

Conon,  Mr.,  282,  343 

Constantine,  701-2 

Constantinople,  597,  727-8 

Conieniporary  Review,  454 

Conversion  of  Thomas  Tregoss,  179 

Convocation  of  1689,  215-18 

Convocation  of  the  Province  of  Can- 
terbury, 214 

Conway,  Mr.,  525 

Coode,  Anne,  38S,  398 

Coode,  Jane,  370 

Coode,  John,  370 

Coode,  Richard,  388,  398 

Cook,  Captain,  497,  564 

Cook  family,  the,  704 

Cook,  Mr.,  287 

Cooke,  Colonel,  266 

Cooke,  Henry,  704 

Cooke,  J.  H.,  648  note,  651 

Cooke,  Sir  Thomas,  284 

Cooke,  W.,  283 

Cooling,  Mr.,  5^0 

Coote,  Mr.,  307 

Coote,  Sir  Eyre,  163 

Copper  mines,  192 

Corfu,  451.  514 

Corinth,  728 

Corn,  famine  in,  456 

Corneille,  126 

Cornish  Character  and  Character- 
istics, 581 

Cornish  Ghost  Story,  A,  82 

Cornish,  J.  B.,  471  note,  473,  478 

Cornish  language,  current,  243 

—  decline  of,  243-4 

—  spoken  by  Dolly  Pentreath,  238- 

—  spoken  in  Mousehole,  242 
Cornish  Magazine  (1898),  73,  82,  471 
Cornishinan,  68 


Co7'}tisk  Saints  and  Sinners,  245 
Cornwall  Gazette,  122 
Coromandel,  160 
"Coronation,  The,"  58 
Corpus  Christi  Pleasure  Fair,  144 
Corunna,  458,  463 
Coryton,  Elizabeth,  406 
Coryton  family,  the,  401 
Coryton,  John,  388 

—  claims  estates,  396-8 
Coryton,  John  Tillie,  406 
Coryton,  Mr.,  339 
Coryton,  Peter,  388-9,  398 

—  accused  of  murder,  389-95 
Coryton,  Richard,  396-98 

—  depositions  concerning  murder  of, 

390,  392-3 

—  murder  of,  388,  396,  398 
Coryton,  Scipio,  396,  398 
Coryton,  Sir  John,  398,  401,  403,  407 
Coster,  Mr.,  342 

Cothele,  592 

Cottenham,  Miss,  262 

Cottonian  Library,  189 

Couch,  J.,  257 

Couch,  J.  Q.,  257 

Couchworth,  Mr.,  611 

Courtenay,    Sir    William,    see  John 

Nichols  Tom 
Courtney,  Mr.  J.  S.,  143 
Courtney,  Mr.,  520 
Court  Place,  117 
Coutars,  Robert,  613 
Covent   Garden   Theatre,   288,   301, 

378,  382,  384,  387,  467 
Coverplank,  160 
Cowley,  Abraham,  553 
"Cracked  Charity,"  593 
Craddock,  Humphrey,  223,  224 
Crafthole,  354 
Cranch,  Mr.,  409,  417 
Craven,  Lord,  38,  301,  302 
Crawford  Street,  622 
Crawshay,  Mr.,  197 
Crayford,  648 
Creation  of  the  World,  680 
Creed, 54 

Creighton,  Dr.,  50 
Cresswell,  Lieutenant,  567 
Crocodile,  Lady  Kitty,  294 
Crofts,  Cecilia,  546 
Crofts,  Sir  John,  546 
Cromwell,   Oliver,    26,    36,    37,   40, 

45.  46,  49,  70,   127,  479.  549. 

724 


742 


CORNISH   CHARACTERS 


Cropthorne,  8i 

Crosby,  B.,  257 

Cry  of  the  Oppressed,  543 

Crystal  Palace,  620 

Cuby,  525 

Cudden  Point,  470 

Culloden,  260 

Culpepper,  208 

Culver,  Mr.,  603,  606,  608,  611 

Culver,  Sarah,  611 

Cumberland,  Duke  of,  278 

Cunnack,  171 

Cunningham,  315 

Cura9ao,  62 

Curallak,  James,  615 

Curling,  Mr.,  607 

Curryngton,  Peter,  see  Coryton 

Cyfarthfa,  197 

Cyrus,  408 

Daily  Express,  69 
Bailing,  Lord,  448 
Daly,  467 
Damann,  460 
Danby,  Earl  of,  220 
Dance,  Sir  Charles,  199 
Daniel,  the  lunatic,  571,  572 
Danvers,  Colonel,  105 
Dargate  Common,  606 
Darlington,  Lord,  526 
Dartmoor,  55,  84,  92,  399 
Dartmouth,  38,  166,  342,  667 
Dartmouth,  Earl  of,  309 
Das  Anton,  Count,  145 
Dasycampa  rubiginea,  148 
Daubuz,  Mr.,  583 
D'Avenant,  Mr.,  315 
Davenport,   Mary   Ann,    appears   at 
Bath,  466 

—  her    personifications,    467,    468, 

469 

—  style  of,  466,  468,  469 
Davenport,  Mr.,  467,  469 
Davidstowe,  226 
Davies,  Henry,  341 
Davies,  John,  341 
Davies,  William,  341 
Davis,  Catherine,  675 
Davis,  Jolin,  675 

Davy,  Humphry,  677,  679 
Dawes,  Mr.,  560 
Dawlish,  200 
Dawson,  G. ,  699  note 
Dawson,  Mr.,  416,  418 
Daye,  Dorothy,  341 


Daye,  Peter,  341 

Deal,  322 

Deanery  of  Trigg  Minor ^  225  note 

Death,  a  "  natural,"  667 

Deborah,  469 

Debrctt's  l'eeras;c,  386 

De  Conflans,  130 

Defence,  502 

Defoe,  Daniel,  72,  79 

Delabole  slate,  186 

Delamere,  Lord,  673 

Delane,  286 

Delasaux,  T.  T.,  613 

Delaval,  Lord,  290 

Delaware,  river,  688 

Delhi,  251 

Deloney,  Thomas,  no 

Demba,  417 

Demerara,  253 

De  Mezeray,  426 

De  Morgan,  A.,  90 

Denbigh,  Lord,  725 

Denham,    Sir    John,    on    Killigrew, 

54S>  553 
Denman,  Lord,  612 
Denmark,  639 
Denne  &  Snow,  Messrs.,  276 

—  Mr.  George,  600 

Dennis,  Captain  Benedick,  646 

—  John, 252 
Deptford,  410,  716 
Derby,  Earl  of,  435,  661 
Dermont,  378 

De  Ruyter,  46 

Derwentwater,  Lord,  15 

Deveil,  Sir  Thomas,  287 

Devil  to  Pay,  The,  323 

Devizes,  633 

Devon,  Earl  of,  599,  600 

Devonport,  20,  55,  85,  184,  399,  666 

—  Dispensary,  268 

Devonshire  Characters  and  Strange 

Events,  54,  55 
Dewey,  Henry  R. ,  465 
Dewin,  Mr.,  343 
De  Witt,  46 
Dgioun,  597  _ 
Diary,  Pepys's,  726 
Dlbdin,  387 
Dickens,  Charles,  143 
Dickwood,  Thomas,  26 
Dictionary  of  National  Biography, 

53,  154,  205,  220,  451,  454.  556 

note 
Diddler,  Jeremy,  468 


i 


INDEX 


743 


Diddle,  Sir  Dilbury,  286 

Dido,  H.M.S.,  236 

Digges,  Sir  Dudley,  330 

Dignum,  380 

Dinan,  474 

Dingley,  Dorothy,  81,  82 

—  appears  at  Bothathan,  75,  78 
Dingley,  Francis,  81 

Dingley,  James,  vicar  of  South  Peth- 
erwin,  72,  82 

Dingley,  Mrs.,  316 

Dingley,  Pethebridge,  and  Dingley,  72 

Discovery,  320 

Dissertation  on  the  Utility  of  His- 
tory, 425 

"Diurnall"  of  Ruddle,  73 

Diversions  of  the  Morning,  The,  285 

Divine  Right  of  Kings,  209,  210,  335 

Dixon,  Mr.  James,  625,  626 

Doble,  Matthew,  528 

Dock  Lane,  Penzance,  622 

Dog,  a  sagacious,  353 

Dogger  Bank,  502 

Dolcoath,  694,  696 

Doleman,  Colonel,  45 

Dolly's  Coffee  House,  171 

Dominica,  522 

Doncaster,  32 

Donnithorne,  Mr.  Nicholas,  2S3 

Don  Quixote,  299 

Dorchester,  Marquis  of,  661 

Dorothy,  409,  420,  421 

Douay  Diary,  555,  556  note 

Dove,  Tom,  113 

Dover,  296,  322 

Dowlas,  Sirs.,  469 

Down,  T.  C,  451  note;  454 

Dozmare  Pool,  628 

Drake,  Sir  Francis,  137 

Draper,  Lieut. -Col. ,  162 

Dreams — Edward  Norway's,  123-125 

—  Williams's  of  Perceval,  427 
Drew,  Jabez,  351,  356 
Drew,  J.  H.,  346,  363 
Drew,  Samuel,  63 

—  a  half-drowned  smuggler,  355 

—  blunders  re  Bothathan  Ghost,  ']'>) 

—  carries  the  mail,  351 

—  declines  a  wife,  360 

—  early  life  of,  346 

—  literary  pursuits  of,  356,  358,  360, 

361 

—  on  Dolly  Pentreath,  238,  241 

—  runs  away,  349-351 

—  sees  weird  apparition,  374 


Drew,  value  of  works  of,  361,  362 
Drummond  family,  the,  524 
Drummond,  Samuel,  625 
Drummond-Hay,  Sir  John,  714 
Drury  Lane,  288,  300,  301,  302,  552 
Drury  Lane  Theatre,  323,  378,  384, 

387 
Duberly,  Lady,  469 
Dublin,  90,  173,  289,  380,  467,  638 
Dublin,  Marquis  of,  433 
Duchess  of  Clarence,  196 
Duchy  of  Lancaster  Liberty,  275 
Duckworth,  Admiral,  443 
Duel  between  Mohun  and  Hamilton, 

311-17 
Duelling,  308,  309 
Duke  of  Clarence,  64  note 
Duloe,  432 
Dumoor  Heath,  673 
Dunkirk,  46,  332,  6i2,  639 
Dunmeer  Woods,  117,  120 
Dunstanville,  Lord  de,  519 
Dunster,  Baron  of,  298 
Dupleix,  160,  161 
Durable,  Miss,  469 
Durant,  Dorothy,  81 

—  George,  81 

—  Richard,  81 
Durham,  13 
Durnford,  Mr.,  420 
Dursley,  Lord,  640,  641,  647 

Eagle,  wreck  of  the,  640,  647,  650 
Early    Years   and  Late    Reflections, 

122,  427 
Eastbourne,  678,  680,  68 1 
East  India  Company,  158 

—  misgovernment  by  Child,  484-7 

—  prosperity  of,  482,  483 

—  rights  of,  459-61,  479,  482 

—  treatment  of  Keigwin,  479 
East  India  House,  374,  485 
Eastling,  607 

East  Looe,  i,  92,  518,  681 
Eccles,  299 

Ecclesiastical  History  of  Nczv  Eng- 
land, 53 
Eddystone  Lighthouse,  633 
Edgar,  638 
Edgcumbe,  171 

—  family,  the,  171 

—  Jane,  592 

—  Sir  Piers,  592 
Edgehill,  51,  722 
Edict  of  Nantes,  424 


744 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Edinburgh  Botanical  Society,  143 

Edinburgh,  Duke  of,  669 

Edinburgh  Journal,  257 

Edinburgh,  Medical  School  of,  677 

Edinburgh  Museum,  633 

Edmund,  King,  231 

Ednovean,  341 

Edward  I,  243,  500,  719 

Edward  II,  136,  434 

Edward  III,  136,  654 

Edward  IV,  661 

Edward  VI,  29,  115,  518,  586,  616 

Edward  VII,  187,  634 

—  and  Ann  Glanville,  669 

Edwards,  Bryant,  172 

Edwards,  Mr.,  98 

Edwards,  J.  P.,  363 

Edye,  Lieut.  L. ,  20,  25 

Edye,  Mr.  William,  20,  23 

Eggesford,  225 

Egloshayle,  117,  119,  120,  122,  223, 

224 
Egloskerry,  84 
Egmonf,  505 
Eikon  Basilike,  680 
Ekins,  Mr.,  642 
EI  Arbi  Shat,  711 
Elba,  507 

Elder  Brethren  of  Trinity  House,  66 
Elections,  Cornish,  51S-530 
Eliot,  Edward,  73 
Eliot,  John,  73 
Eliot,  Lord,  522 
Eliot,  Sir  John,  73,  339 
Elizabeth,  Queen,  30,  31,   133,   136, 

137,   224,   298,  395,    479,    518, 

524,  554,  652,   655,    657,    661, 

662,  665,  704,  720 
Ellery,  John,  223,  224 
Elliott,  Ebenezer,  189 
Elliott,  Mr.,  402 
Embonna,  412,  415 
Emperors  of  the  East,  727,  728 
Endicott,  Mr.,  35 
English  Atlas,   The,  542 
English  Botany,  143 
English  Dictionary ,  Johnson's,  2 
E)iglishman  in  Paris,  The,  288 
Englishman    Returned  from    Paris, 

The,  288 
Enoder,  517 
Enquiry   of  the   Barbarous  I\/urder 

of  the  Earl  of  Essex,  104,  106 
Entomological  Society  of  London,  147 
Enys,  470,  473,  614 


Enys,  Mr.  J.  D.,  614 

Enys,  Valentine,  707 

Epiccene,  550 

Epirus,  513 

Epitaph  on  Dolly  Pentreath,  242 

Epuhz   ThyestcE,  42 

Erisey  family,  the,  500 

Erisey,  Richard,  140 

Erizzo,  Francisco,  545 

Erwin,  236 

Escrick,  96 

Esviond,  310 

Essay  on  the  Being  and  Attributes 

of  the  Deity,  361 
Essay  071  the  Human  Understaiuiing, 

357 
Essay  on  the  Immortality  of  the  Soul, 

358,  360 
Essex,  Earl  of,  96,  305,  722,  725 
Essex,   Arthur,  Earl  of;  suicide  of, 

96,  97,  100,   104,    106 

—  supposed  murder  of,  98,  99,    104 
Essex's  Innocency  and  Honour  Vin- 
dicated, 106 

Ethy,  503,  514 

Euclid,  92 

European  Alagazine,  626 

Euston  Square,  193 

Evans,  Mr.,  97 

Evelyn's  Diary,  entry  re  Peters,  41 

Ewes,  Colonel,  39 

Exatniner,  The,  308,  314 

Excalibur,  605 

Excellent,  259,  260 

Execution  of  Bartlett,  395,  327 

—  of  Bosavern  Penlez,  274 

—  of  Cuthbert  Mayne,  658 

—  of  Eulalia  Page,  665 

—  of  Hawkins  and  Kendal,  140 

—  of  Humphrey  Arundell,  592 

—  of  James  and  William  Lightfoot, 

122 

—  of  James  Tyley,  402 

—  of  Jonathan  Simpson,  674 

—  of  Lord  Russell  and  Sidney,  485 

—  of  the  Mayor  of  Bodmin,  590 

—  of  Rogers  and  Street,  367 

—  of  Russell,  209 

—  of  Samuel  Goodere,  282 

—  of  Sir  Robert  Tresilian,  440 

—  of  the  Vicar  of  S.  Thomas's,  588 

—  of  William  Kilter,  587  note 
Exeter,  8,    12,    80,    in,    113,  134, 

144,   156,    179,    220,    224,  375, 
467,  524,  560,  62S,  704 


INDEX 


745 


Exeter,  Bishop  of,  140,  219,  425 

Exeter  Cathedral,  219,  375 

Exeter   College,    Oxford,    177,    329, 

554,. 722 
Exeter,  siege  of,  588 
Exmoor,  92 
Exmouth,  601 

—  Lord,  456,  507 
Eyre,  Mr.,  422 

Fadlallah,  3 
Faery,  The,  472,  473 
Fahil,  Captain,  320 
Fairfax,  Sir  Thomas,  36,  39 
Fairies,  533,  536,  538 
Fairman,  W.  C,  614 
Fairs,  Corpus  Christi,  144 

—  Falmouth,  370 
Faith-cures,  542 
Fal,  the,  133,  370 
Falkland,  Lord,  208,  544 
"Fall  of  Man,  The,"  631 
Falmouth,    60,    62,    136,    137,    145, 

187,  250,  370,  373,  410,  429, 
456,  458,  478,  497,  623,  628, 
631,    633,    663,   695,   699,    717 

Falmouth,  Lord,  525 

Falmouth  fair,  370 

Falmouth  harbour,  134,  371 

"  Falstaff  of  the  West,"  see  Anthony 
-Payne 

Familiar  Letters,  331,  332  note, 
333  note 

Farey,  Mr.,  200 

Farming  in  America,  684 

Fatal  Curiosity,  The,  619 

Fatima,  213 

Faulkener,  one-legged,  289 

Faversham,  606,  612 

Favourite,  320 

Fawcett,  Nabob,  522 

Fearon,  Colonel,  490,  498,  499 

Fellowes,  Captain,  261-267 

Felt,  J.  B.,  S3 

Fenny  Park,  157 

Fenton,  Mr.,  448,  449, 

Fenwick,  Colonel,  498 

Feock,  244 

Ferdinand  and  Isabella  of  Spain, 
729 

Ferguson,  314 

Fermon,  Jane,  135 

—  Sir  George,  135 

—  Sir  William,  135 
Fetiche  Rock,  413 


Fez,  715 

Fielding,  Henry,  275-278 

—  Sir  John,  630 
Fiennes,  Nathaniel,  37,  724 
Filnier,  208,  221 
Firebrand,  640,  647 

"  First  Primrose,  The,"  694 

Fishbouriie,  559 

Fisher,  Rev.  Thomas,  427 

Fish  Strand,  45S 

Fitzallen  family,  112 

Fitzmaurice,  Mr.,  410 

Five-lanes,  190 

Flannel,  The,  381 

Fleas,  659 

Fleet  Conduit,  27 

Fleet  Prison,  291,  337,  543.  555 

Fleet  Street,  276 

Fleetwood,  667 

Fleta,  136 

Fletcher,  487 

Flood  accounts  for  fossils,  4 

Flora  of  West  Cornwall,  143 

Flower,  54 

Flushing,  455,  456 

Foad,  Alexander,  608,  611 

Foley,  188 

Folger,  Peter,  34 

Folkestone,  Viscount,  649 

"Folly,  The,"  131 

Foote  family,  the,  280 

—  arms  of,  280 

Foote,  Edward,  282,  294 

Foote,  Elizabeth,  280 

Foote,  John,  280,  282 

Foote,  Mrs.,  282-4,  291 

Foote,  Samuel,  and  George  II,  294 

—  appears  as  Othello,  2S5 

—  boastfulness  punished,  290 

—  caricatures  his  friends,  288,  289 

—  character  of,  283,  287 

—  dramatic  talent  of,  296 

—  early  life  of,  280,  282,  284 

—  extravagance  of,  287,  290 

—  his  Diversions,  285 

—  jocularity  of,  283,  292,  293,  294, 

296 

—  mimicry  of,  283,   286,  287,   289, 

292,  293,  294 

—  prank  at  college,  284 

—  rebuilds  Haymarket,  290 

—  trial  of,  295 

Foote,  Samuel,  of  Tiverton,  280 
Footprints   of  Former  Men  in   Far 
Cornwall,  93,  185 


746 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Forbes,  John,  34 

Forbes,  Professor  Ed.,  189 

Fordwick,  Lord,  599 

Forest  of  Dean,  168 

Fore  Street,  St.  Ives,  172 

Formidable,  376 

Forrabury,  109 

Forster,  General,  13 

Fort  Royal,  321 

Fort  S.  David,  158,  160,  161 

Fort  S.  George,  158,  159,  162 

Fort  S.  Julian,  145 

Fort  Tregantle,  148 

Fort  William,  158 

Fossils — never     found     in     granite, 

95        . 

—  superstition  about  origin  of,  4 
Foster's  Baronetage,  156 

Fowey,  26,   1S7,  247,  248,  298,  329, 

515,  518,  723 
Fowler,  Dean,  213 
Fox,  Caroline,  86,  90 

—  on  Burnard,  188 
Foxwell,  Mr.,  61 

Fragments  of  an  Uitfinishcd  Dravia, 

454 
Francis,  707 
Francis,  Mr.  G.,  603 
Franklyn,  Mr.,  28 
Frederick,     Prince    of    Wales,    319, 

344 
Frederick  the  Great,  471 
Freemantle,  Admiral,  514 
Free  Trade,  see  Smuggling 
Fremington,  225 
Fresnel,  202 

Friar  Street,  London,  204 
Friendship,  559,  56 1 
Frisk,  Lady  Betty,  286 
Froissart,    Sir  John,   on  Sir  Robert 

Tresilian,  435-40 
Frome,  103 
Frome  Selwood,  99 
Froude,  J.  A.,  657 

—  on  Archbishop  Parker,  31 

—  on  the  Church  of  England,  32 

—  on  the  Reformation,  29 
Fry,  Mr.,  679 

Fryer,  Dr.,  479 

Fulford,  Elizabeth,  592 

Fulford,  Sir  John,  592 

Fulham,  672 

Fulmer,  467 

Fulton,  Mr.,  688 

"  Furry  Day,"  Helston,  59 


Gall,  John,  113 
Galway,  Mr.,  410,  417 
Gardiner,  Captain  Allen,  death  and 
burial  of,  236,  237 

—  encounters  hardships,  234,  235 

—  starts  for  Terra  del  Fuego,    232, 

233 

Gardiner,  S.  R.,  53 

Garnett,  Mr.  R.,  445,  454 

Garonne,  196 

Garrick,  David,  mimicked  by  Foote, 

286,  292 
Garrick  Coffee  House,  380 
Garth,  Mr.,  420 
Gascoyne,  Mr.,  525 
Gaverigan,  John,  718 
Gaverigan,  Philippa,  718 
Gawsworth,  317 
Gay,  Thomas,  386 
Geffrey,  Joan,  718 
Gell,  Philip,  521 
General  Advertiser,  285 
Geneva,  31 
Genoa,  707 
Gentlemait's  Magazine,  19,  169,  170, 

279,  423,  529 
Geological  discoveries  by  Pengelly, 

4,  7-10 
Geology,  Pengelly's  first  lesson  in,  4 
George  I,  184,  713 
George  H,  294 
George  III,  223,  524 
George  IV,  223 
George  Inn,  Newnham,  607 
George  of  Denmark,  Prince,  639 
George's  Coffee  House,  286 
Georgian  yEra,  468 
Germansweek,  109 
Germoe,  342 
Gerrard,  Fitton,  299 
Ghosts — appears  to  Gumb,  94 

—  at  Bothathan,  74-79,  82 

—  at  S.  Austell,  347,  348 

—  of  Tregeagle,  628 
Giants,   185 

Giants  and  Dwarfs,  185 
Gibbon,  Edward,  729 
Gibraltar,  503,  639,  716 
Gibson,  Captain,  730 
Giddy,  Edward,  675 
Giddy,  John,  675 
Giddy,  Mr.  Davies,  192 
Giddy,  Rev.  Edward,  341 
Giddy,  Thomas,  675 
Gidley,  John,  560 


INDEX 


747 


Gilbert,  Carew  Davies,  340  note 
Gilbert,  C.  S.,  662 

—  finds  Payne's  portrait,  184 
Gilbert,   Davies,    20,    23,    167,    192, 

340,  341 

—  and  the  Logan  Rock,  680 

—  and  the  Royal  Society,  679 

—  firames   Act  of  interment  of  the 

drowned,  62 

—  friend  of  Beddoes,  and  Humphry 

Davy,  676,  677 

—  his  collection  of  carols,  676,  681 

—  his  wife,  678 

—  his  works,  680 

—  on  derivation  of  Week,  109 

—  on  Henry  Rogers,  368,  369 

—  on  John  Knill,  171,  173 

—  practical  mathematician,  677,  678, 

680 
Gilbert,  Mary  Ann,  678 

—  a  strong-minded  partner,  679 
Gilbert,  Thomas,  220 
Gilbert,  Walter  Raleigh,  227 
Gildew,  Mr.,  556  note 
Gilpin,  405 

Ginger,  J.,  328 

Gingi,  163 

Gironde,  505 

Gladiator,  254 

Glaisher,  Professor,  89,  90 

Glance  behind  the  Curtain,  70 

Glanville,  Ann,  beats  the  French,  668 

—  champion  oarswoman,  666 

—  character  of,  669 

—  Jack  Tar's  mother,  666 
Glanville,  Eulalia,  665 
Glanville  family,  the,  664,  665 
Glanville.  Judge,  665 
Glanville,  Mary,  665 
Glasgow,  202, 

Glasgow,  509 

"  Glee  Club,  The,"  380 

Gleig,  Mr.,  504 

Glimpses  of  the  Supernatural,  81 

Glivian,  173 

Gloag  family,  the,  256 

Gloucester,  112,  199,  648  note,  651 

Gloucester,  Bishop  of,  531 

Gloucester  Hall,  284 

Gloucester,  Thomas,  Duke  of,  432- 

439 

—  and  Sir  Robert  Tresilian,  438-440 
Gluvias,  500,  614,615  note,  616 
Glyn,  Dennis,  280 

Glyn,  Nicholas,  280 


Glynn,  Robert,  228 
Glynn-Clobery,     Richard,    his    prize 
poem,  231 

—  life  at  Cambridge,  229-30 

—  strong  Chattertonian,  228,  231 
Goadby'&;  Co.,  347,  349 
Godolphin  House,  584,  705 
Godolphin,   Lady,   discovers   Coke's 

ill  practices,  705 
Godolphin,  Lord,  343 
Godolphin,  Margaret,  480 
Godolphin,  Nicholas,  480 
Godolphin,  Prudence,  706 
Godolphin,  Sir  Francis,  704 
Godolphin,  William,  706 
Golden,  528,  652,  656 
Golden  Grove,  559,  565 
Golding,  Lady,  630 
Goldsmith,  Lieutenant,  680 

—  death  of,  25 

—  describes  displacement,  21 

—  displaces  Logan  Stone,  19 

—  replaces  Logan  Stone,  23 
Goldsmith,  Oliver,  19 
Goldsworthy,  General,  192 
Gonzalo,  371 

Goodall,  John,  406 
Goodall,  Peter,  406 
Goodall,  \\  illiam,  406 
Goodere,  Samuel,  280 

—  strangles  his  brother,  281-2 
Goodere,  Sir  Edward,  280 
Goodere,  Sir  John  Dinely,  280 

—  strangled  by  his  brother,  281-2 
Goodfellow,  John,  223-4 
Goodrestone,  606 

Goodwin,  John,  42,  48 

Goodwin,  Rev.  Harvey,  89 

Goodwin  Sands,  602 

Gordon,  Colonel,  448 

Goring,  Lord  George,  38,  723 

Gorran,  12 

Gotha,  453 

Gottenburg,  501 

Gough,  General,  1S9,  405-6 

Gould,  Jacky,  664 

Gout  not  hereditary,  229 

Gower,  Dr.,  284 

Graham,  Mr.,  716 

Graham,  Sir  Thomas,  487 

Grampound,  329,  515,  516,  517,  518, 

527,  529 

—  disfranchisement  of,  524 

—  elections  at,  522-524 
Grandison,  John,  Earl,  318 


748 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


I 


Grasse,  Count  de,  377 

Gravesend,  Bishop  of,  386 

Gray's  Inn,  170,  173,  2S3 

Graylhwaite,  374 

Great  Eastern  Company,  70 

Great  Exhibition,  620 

Great  Smith,  643 

Great  Torrington,  179 

Green  Castle,  62 

Green,  J.  R.,  208 

Greenwich,  269 

Greenwich  Hospital,  626 

Gregor,  Mr.,  424 

Gregory  XIII,  653,  654 

Grenville  family,  the,   181 

Grenville,  Lady,  328 

Grenville,  Lady  Grace,  183 

Grenville,  Lord,  319,  323 

Grenville,  Sir  Beville,  182 

Grenville,  Sir  John,  183 

Grenville,    Sir    Richard,    139,    653, 

722,  724 
Gretna  Green,  465 
Grey  de  Ruthyn,  112 
Grey,  Lord,  58S 
Grey  of  Gloucester,  112 
Grey,  Thomas,  661 
Grey,  William,  Lord,  589 
Griffith,  Anne,  317 
Griffith,  Colonel  Edward,  299 
Grove,  156 
Grub  Street,  317 
Grylls,  Rev.  P.  Couch,  85 
Grylls,  Tabitha  Knill,  83 
Guardian.,  319 
Guernsey,  246 
Guiana,   134 
Guide  to  Ilfracoinbe,  143 
Guide  to  Penzajue,  143 
Guildhall,  London,  390 
Guilston,  646 
Gulf  of  Finland,  408 
Gulf  of  Lyons,  267 
Gull,  87 
Gumlj,  Daniel,  Hawker's  account  of, 

94 

—  observatory  of,  92 

—  stone  diagrams  of,  92,  93 
Gunning,  231 
Gunpowder  Plot,  661 
Gunther,  Captain,  420 
Gurney,  John,  192 
Gurney,  Miss  A.  D. ,  205 

Gurney,     Sir     Goldsworthy,      192- 
205 


Gurney  invents  and   applies   steam- 
blast,  194-197,  203,  204,  205 

—  invents  Bude  light,  202,  205 

—  invents   oxyhydrogen    blow-pipe, 

203-205 

—  prejudice  against  his  inventions, 

200,  202,  205 

—  prophecies  of,  203,  204 

—  runs  a  steam-coach,  198,  205 

—  uses  concrete,  204 
Gustavus  of  Sweden,  511 
Gwennap,  427 
Gwennap  mines,  343 

Haberdashers'  Company,  542 
Habingdon,  Mr.,  38 
Hachard,  J.,  328 
Hackworth,  Mr.,  195 
Hadleigh,  727 
Hague,  The,  128,  547 
Hales'  estate,  the,  600 
Halifax,  261,  267 
Hall,  81,  701 
Hall,  Mr.,  109 

Hall,  Mr.  S.  C,  on  J.  S.  Bucking- 
ham, 455,  463 
Halley's  Comet,  85 
Hallowell,  Admiral,  506 
Halls,  Honor,  360 
Halstead,  Mr.,  97 
Hals,  John,  inaccuracy  of,  137 

—  244,    338,    340,    557,    591,    616, 

680 

—  on  Edward  Chapman,  701 

—  on  John  Coke,  704-706 

—  on  Tillie,  400,  403,  404 
Hals,  Sir  Nicholas,  135,  136,  137 
Hambley  family,  the,  455 
Hambley,  Thomazine,  455 
Hamilton,   Colonel  John,    examina- 
tion of,  315,  316 

—  second  in  Mohun's  duel,  311-315 
Hamilton,  Duchess  of,  316 
Hamilton,     Duke    of,     fights     with 

Mohun,  310-317 
Hamilton,  Marquis  of,  39 
Hamley,  Colonel,  569 
Hamley,  Mr.,  370 
Hamoaze,  663,  667 
Plampden,  John,  96 
Hanacott  Manor,  204 
Handel,  378 
Ilandley,  Mr.,  609 
Hanover,  16,  308,  424 
Hanover  Square,  345 


INDEX 


749 


Hanseatic  League,  334 
Hans  Towns,  136 
Hardcastle,  Mrs.,  467,  469 
Harley,  79 
Harley,  Robert,  310 
Harlyn,  26 
Harpford,  701 
Harpsfield,  557 
Harrington,  Earl  of,  317 
Harris,  Alfred,  697,  699 
Harris,  Captain  John,  623 
Harris,  George,  369 
Harris,  Howard,  697,  699 
Harris,  James,  695 
Harris,  Jane,  697 

Harris,  John,  early  versifications  of, 
694 

—  his  escapes  from  death,  698 

—  his  own  account  of  his  life,  692- 

698 

—  his  prize  poem  on  Shakespeare, 

699 

—  miner  poet,  700 

—  reads    Shakespeare,    Byron,   and 

Burns,  695 

—  talent  of,  699 

—  vanity  of,  694,  697,  698 
Harris,  Lucretia,  697 
Harris,  Mr.  J.  Henry,  245 
Harris,  shoemaker,  119 
Harris,  Sir  W.  Snow,  203 
Harris,  Susan,  623 
Harris,  Thomas,  378 
Harrison,  Colonel,  51 
Hartland,  92 

Hartland  Abbey,  156,  165 
Harvey  family,  the,  467 
Harvey,  Catherine,  428 
Harvey,  Joseph,  467 
Harvey,  Lord,  376 
Harvey,  Martin,  428 
Harvey,  Mary  Ann,  466 ;  see  Daven- 
port 
Harvey,  Sir  Robert,  185 
Harwich,  320 
Hatch,  J.,  366 
Havre,  130,  597,  667 
Haweis,  432 
Hawke,  130 
Hawker,  Rev.  R.  S.,  73 

—  on  Gumb,  93 

—  on  Payne,  183,  185 
Hawkey,  Charles,  408 

Hawkey,  Charlotte,    166,    168,   408, 
423 


Hawkey,  Lieutenant  Joseph,  408 
Hawkey,  Lieutenant  John,  death  of, 
422 

—  explores  the  Congo,  409-422 

—  narrow  escape  from  drowning,  410 

—  prisoner  in  France,  408 
Hawkey,  Mr.,  166 
Hawkey,  Richard,  408 
Hawkey,  William,  408 
Hawkins  family,  the,  515,  516 
Hawkins,  Florence,  516 
Hawkins,  Francis,  516 
Hawkins,  George,  516 
Hawkins,  Jane,  516 
Hawkins,  John,  516,  517 
Hawkins,  Maiia,  443 
Hawkins,  Mary,  516 
Hawkins,  Mr.,  138-140 
Hawkins,  Philip,  516,  517 
Hawkins,  Reginald,  516 
Hawkins,  Renatus,  516 
Hawkins,  Sir  Christopher,  443 

—  acquires  land,  517 

—  borough-monger,    515,   520,   521, 

526 

—  encourages  inventions,  527 

—  influence  at  Grampound,  522-524, 

527 

—  influence   at   S.   Ives,    524,    527- 

529 

—  M.P.  for  Mitchell,  518,  527 

—  M.P.  for  Penryn,  527 

—  tried  for  corruption,  520 
Hawkins,  Thomas,  516,  517 
Hawley,  Captain,  loi,  105 
Hayle,  172,  516 

Haymarket  Theatre,  285,   287,   294, 

295>  377,  465.  467 

—  rebuilt  by  Foote,  290 

—  wreckage  of,  278 
Hayward,  Abraham,  578 
Hayward,  Sir  John,  590 
Heathman,  Francis,  538 
Heir  at  Law,  469 
Heliophotiis  hispidus,   15 1 
Helland,  228,  592 

Helston,  60,  61,  67,  71,  170,  171, 
329,  362,  364,  516,  579,  580, 
678 

—  described,  59 

"  Helston  Arms,"  582 
Helston  Church,  587 
Hender,  Frances,  721 
Hender,  John,  721 
Hengest,  231 


750 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Henley,  287 

Henry  H,  407 

Henry  HI,  133,  298 

Henry  VI,  109,  in 

Henry  VH,  32,  154,  661 

Henry   VHI,    243,    247,    586,    652, 

655 

—  and  the  Reformation,  28,  29 
Herald'' s  Visitations  of  Cormvall,  81, 

107,    155,   224,   280,    370,   441, 

661,  701 
HeralcVs  Visitations  of  Dezwn,  17 1 
Herbert,  Admiral,  638 
Herbert,  Lord  Charles,  544 
Herbert,   Mr.    Edmund,    on    Sir    C. 

Shovel,  642,  646 
Herbert,  Sir  William,  589 
Hercules,  446 

Herkomer,  Professor  von,  90 
Heme  Hill,  606,  609,  611 
Herod's  Foot,  581 
Heroes  of  the  old  Faltnotith  Packet 

Service,  626 
Herring,  IVIr.  F.,  190 
Herschel,  Sir  John,  88 
Hesse,  Charlotte  van,  547 
Hesse,  John  van,  547 
Heywood,  Anne,  516 
Hey  wood,  James,  517 
Hicker,  George,  543 
Hicks,  Polly,  283 
Hicks,  William  Robert,  chestnuts  of, 

573 

—  examples  of  humour  of,  574-57° 

—  personal  appearance  of,  569-575 

—  tells   of  an  indifferent  night,   574 

—  versatility  of,  569 
Higginson,  Rev.,  34 

Higher  Brown  Quartils,  75,  78,  80, 

82 
Highgate,  387 
Highgate,  Lord,  386 
High  Life  Below  Stairs,  407 
Highwaymen,  see  Jonathan  Simpson 
Hill,  Captain  Richard,  299,  300 

—  escapes,  305-6 

—  murders  Mountford,  299-304 
Hill,  Mr.,  427-8 

Historical  and  Critical  Account  of 
High  Peters,  53 

Historical  Jourtial  of  the  Transac- 
tions at  Port  fackson  and  Nor- 
folk Island,  568 

Historical  Survey  of  Cornwall,  662 

History  of  the  Commonwealth,  53 


History  of  Cornwall,   73,    238,   243, 

361,  401,  616,  680 
Histoty  0}    England,    Froude's,    31 

note,  32  note 
History  of  the  Four  Last    Years  of 

the  Queen,  317 
Llistory  of  His  Own  Times,  53,  106 
History  of  John  Gilpin,  2 
History  of  the  Life  and  Adventures 

of  Mr.  Duncan  Campbell,  72 
History  of  Looe,  681 
History  of  Polperro,  257 
History  of  the  Reign  of  Queen  Anne, 

645  note,  648,  651 
History  of  Rev.  Hugh  Peters,  53 
History  of  Queen  Anne,    The,  307, 

308  note 
History  of  the  West  Indies,  172 
Histrio-Mastix,  335 
Hitchens,  243 
Hodder,  Mr.,  418 
Holborn,  170,  276 
Holdsworth,  Mr.  Arthur,  166 
Holinshed,  432 
HoUaml,  Captain,   105 
Holland  House,  326 
Holland,  Lord,  327 
Holland,  Sir  John,  437-8 
Holman,  Samuel,  405 
Holmes,  Mr.,  526 
Holsworthy,  108,  156 
Holt,  305 
Holyhead,  626 
Homer  Place,  622 
Honiton,  588 
Hooker,  John,  155 
Hooker,  Richard,  369,  588 
Hope,  General  Sir  John,  505 
Hopton,  Sir  Ralph,  206 
Horace,  692 
Hore,  Richard,  654 
Hornblower,  Jonathan,  677 
Horner,  Mr,,  524 
Horse,  a  sagacious,  352 
"  Horse  and  Groom,"  326 
"  Horse  and  Jockey,"  582 
Hosken,  Anthony,  226 
Hosken,  Nancy,  226 
Hoskin  family,  the,  683 
Hoskin,  James,   advice  to  his  chil- 
dren, 690 

—  and  his  rector,  683 

—  burial  of,  682 

—  his  adventures  in  America,  685-89 

—  on  farming  in  the  States,  684 


I 


INDEX 


751 


Hoskin,  return  of,  689 

Hoskin,  John  William,  683 

Hoskin,  Richard  Vinnicombe,  683 

Hosking,  Harriet,  669 

Hotham,  Sir  John,  36 

Hound,  650 

Hounslow  Heath,  17 

House,  Jane,  669 

Household  Books  of  Lord    William 

Howard,  556  note 
Household  Words,  1852,  22  note 
Howard,  Lord,  96 
Howard,  Lord  William,  555,  558 
Howard  Street,  301,  302 
Howell,  James,  128,  518 

—  on  Noye,  331,  333,  338,  340 
Howes,  Mr.  James,  390 
Hudibras,  44 

Hudson,  Mr.,  148 
Hudson,  river,  689 
Hugo,  Mr.,  594 
Huguenots,  massacre  of,  653 
Hull,  642,  667 
Hwnayoon  Shah,  460,  462 
Humphries,  Mr.,  323 
Hungate,  Dom  Gregory,  556 
Hungerford,  210 
Hunt,  Anna  Maria,  726 
Hunt,  James,  613 
Hunt,  Thomas,  726 
Hunter,  John,  560,  568 
Hutitly,  485 
Hurst  Castle,  39 
Hyde,  Edward,  206 
Hyde,  Sir  Edward,  545 
Hyde  Park,  16,  17,  311,  316 
Hyder  Ali,  164 
Hyndford,  Earl  of,  648 

Identity    and    Resurrection     of  the 

Human  Body,  The,  360 
Ilfracombe,  143 
Illust7-ated     London      News,      620, 

622 
Illtistriojcs  Obscure,  An,  578 
Imaum  of  Muscat,  460,  462 
Imperial  Magazine,  361,  363 
Incledon,      Charles,      chorister      at 
Exeter,  375 

—  death  of,  387 

—  hoaxed,  380,  381,  385,  386 

—  in  the  navy,  376,  377 

—  partiality  for  wine,  381,  382,  383, 

387 

—  selfishness  of,  383,  384 


Incledon,  theatrical   experiences   of, 
377,  378,  387 

—  vanity  of,  380,  381,  382,  386 

—  voice  of,  378,  379,  386 

—  wrecked,  380 
Incledon,  Mrs.,  382,  382,  384 
Indefatigable,  456 
Independents,  rise  of,  37 
Ingoldsby,  Colonel  Richard,  17 
Ingram,  Sir  Arthur,  331 
Inner  Temple,  554 

Innes,  Mr.,  523 

Innocent  Lady,  The,  128 

Inny,  river,  83 

Inquiries  Concerning  the  Intellectual 

Power,  427 
Inventions — by  Call,  158 

—  of  the  Bude  light,  202 

—  of  heating  houses,  204,  205 

—  of  life-saving  rockets,  63,  64 

—  of  the  locomotive,  193 

—  of    the    oxyhydrogen    blow-pipe, 

203 

—  the  steam-blast,  195-197 

—  of  a  torpedo,  688 
hivincible,  321 

Ireland,  Duke  of,  433,  435,  438,  439 
Irresistible,  260 
Isle  of  Wight,  39 
Isthmus  of  Suez,  459 

Jackman,  55 

Jackman,  Mr.  William,  244 
Jackson,  constable,  119 
Jackson,  Rev.,  295 
Jackson,  William,  375 
Jago,  Dr.,  730 
jago,  Rev.  W.,  626 
Jamaica,  172,  515,   683 
Jamaica  Inn,  573,  628,  629 

—  Christmas  Eve  at,  627-631 
James  I,  31,  134,  718,  721 

James  II,  105,    106,   209,   2io,  221, 

402,  542,  638 
James,  Ann,  582 
James's  Naval  History,  257,  626 
Jamison,  Mr.,  566 
Jane  family,  the,  206 
Jane,  Joseph,  206 

—  answers    Milton's    YiiKovoK\a.aT(]'i, 

207 
Jane,  Thomas,  206 
Jane,  William,  207 
Jane,    William,  blocking  tactics  of, 

216-219 


752 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Jane  confers  on  Real  Presence,  209 

—  Prolocutor,  215 

—  rapid  promotion  of,  207,  219 

—  transfers  allegiance  to  William  III, 

210,  221 
Janina,  508,  513 
Janus,  211,  330 
Jefiferies,   Anne,    abstains   from  food 

and  performs   cures,    531,    535, 

S37>  538 

—  imprisoned,  531,  540 

—  meets  with  fairies,  532,  533,  536, 

538 

Jefferies,  Mr.,  420 

Jeffery,  Dolly,  238,  245  ;  see  Pen- 
treath 

Jeffery,  John,  247  _         _ 

Jeffery,  Robert,  exploits  his  priva- 
tions, 256 

—  Government  inquiry  concerning, 

254 

—  impressed  for  Navy,  248,  250 

—  left  on  Sombrero,  251,  253 

—  thief,  250 
Jeffreys,  Judge,  104,  106 
Jeffreys,  Lord,  542 
Jenken,  Mary,  71 
Jenken,  Samuel,  71 
Jenkin,  Captain  W. ,  678 
Jennings,  Captain,  458 
Jennings,  Elizabeth,  458 
Jerusalem,  King  of,  599,  600 
Jervis,  Sir  John,  258,  259 
Jenne  Richard,  Le,  623,  624 
Jewell  family,  the,  156 
Jewell,  Sarah,  156 

John  II,  727 

John,  King,  719 

John  and  Nicholas,  626 

John,  Elizabeth,  615 

John,  Joan,  615,  616 

John,  Margaret,  615 

John,  Michael,  615,  616 

Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel,  2,  167,  675 

—  and  Samuel  Foote,  289,  293 
Johnson,  Mr.,  420 
Johnstone,  Andrew  C,  522 
Johnstone,  Jack,  381 
"Joiners'  Arms,"  S.  Columb,  593 
Jones,  Mrs.  Cadwalader,  157 
Jones,  William,  717 

Jonson,  Ben,  337,  338,  550 
Jope,  Mr.,  171 
Jope,  Rev.  John,  173 
Jordan,  Mrs.,  468 


Jordan,  W.,  680 
Josselin,  474 

Journal  of  the  Royal  Institution  of 
Cornwall,    140,    185,   626,   644, 

651 
Juga,  415,  417,  418 
Jumper,  Sir  W. ,  642 
Justification  of  the  IVar,  46 

Kardihi,  509 
Karikal,  163 
Keates,  Captain,  443 
Keene,  Mr.,  196-7 
Keigwin  family,  the,  480 
Keigwin,  Captain  Richard,  character 
of,  488 

—  Commandant  at  Bombay,  479-80, 

483,  4S5,  487 

—  revolts   from    misgovernment   of 
E.  I.  Company,  4S4-7 

Keigwin,  J.,  680 

Keigwin,  Jenkin,  480 

Keigwin,  Margaret,  480 

Keigwin,  Richard,  480 

Kekewich,  Loveday,  206 

Kekewich,  William,  206 

Kelly,  Earl,  293 

Kelly,  Mr.,  of  Kelly,  665 

Kelly,  T.,  613 

Kelynack  family,  the,  620 

Kelynack,  Charles,  620 

Kelynack,  Mary,  her  reception,  621 

—  walks  to  London,  620 
Kelynack,  Philip,  620 
Kelynack,  William,  620 
Kemlile,  Frances  A.,  454 
Kemble,  John,  379,  384 
Kempe,  John,  654 
Kempthorne,  Admiral,  374 
Kempthorne,  Captain,  457 
Kendal,  138-40 
Keneggy,  478 
Kenmure,  Lord,  13,  15 
Kennall,  Dr.,  243 
Kennedy,  Lord,  299 
Kensington,  312,  326 
Kent,  The,  loss  of,  489-99 
Kentisbeare,  225 

Kent's  Cavern,  Torquay,  exploration 

of,  8 
Kenwyn,  428 
Kenyon,  Lord,  519,  526 
Kerrisvean,  634 
Kew,  410 
Khorchid  Pacha,  513 


INDEX 


753 


Kidleywink,  470 
Kigilliath,  179 
Kilkhampton,  1S2 
Killefreth,  428 
Killigrew,  133 

Killigrew  family,  the,  133,  140,  500, 
544,  553 

—  stage-struck,  544,  552 
Killigrew,  Charles.  547,  552 
Killigrew,  Frances,  140 
Killigrew,  Henry,  544,  547 
Killigrew,   Jane,    contrives    Spanish 

murders,  136 

—  protected  by  Penryn,  135 

—  Spanish    murders   wrongly  attri- 

buted to,   I   7 
Killigrew,  Lady,  729 
Killigrew,  Martin,  134 
Killigrew,  Mary,  involved  in  Spanish 

murders,  137-140 
Killigrew,  Ralph,  133 
Killigrew,  Robert,  547 
Killigrew,  Simon,  133 
Killigrew,  Sir  Henry,  729 
Killigrew,  Sir  John,  133,  134 
Killigrew,  Sir  Peter,  140 
Killigrew,  Sir  Robert,  544 
Killigrew,  Sir  William,  136,  544 
Killigrew,   Thomas,    answers    Louis 

XIV,  546 

—  at  the  Restoration,  547,  548 

—  gives  good  counsel  to  the  king, 

549>  550 

—  misbehaviour  at  Venice,  545 

—  plays  of,  547 

— •  satirizes  Lady  Shrewsbury,  552 
Killigrew,  Thomas,  jun.,  547,  552 
Killingworth  Colliery,  195 
Kilmar,  84 

Kilter,  William,  587  note 
Kimberley,  Earl  of,  140 
Kimmeridge  clay,  9 
King,  Lieut.  Philip  G. ,  Governor  of 
New  South  Wales,  568 

—  in   charge   at    Norfolk  Is.,   564- 

567 

—  voyage  to  Botany  Bay,  569,  561 
King,  Philip,  560 

King,  Rear-Admiral  P.  Parker,   56S 

King,  Sir  Peter,  308 

Kingsand,  269 

King's  Bench,  543 

King's  Bench  Prison,  661 

King's  College,  Cambridge,  228,  231 

King's  College,  London,  89 


King's  House  Theatre,  548 
King  Street,  Westminster,  542 
Kingston  Bridge,  672 
Kingston,  Duchess  of,  289,  294 
Kingston,  Sir  Anthony,  5S9 
Kirrier,  244 
Kit-Cat,  315 
Kittites,  the,  523 
Knatchbull,  N.  J.,  613 
Kneller,  Sir  Godfrey,  183,  184 
Knight,  Mr.,  327 
Knill,  171 
Knill  family,  171 

Knill,   John,    collector    of    customs, 
170,   171 

—  conditions  of  his  bequest  to    S. 

Ives,   173 

—  his  monument,  169,  170 

—  suspected  of  smuggling,    172 
Knill's  Folly,  169 

Knollys,  Sir  Robert,  432 
Knox,  Mr.,  556  note 
Knyvett,  Henry,  133 
Kolokotroni,  446 
Koran,  511 
Kosseir,  460 
Kyber,  67 

Labourdonnais,  159 

Lady  Harriet,  458 

Lady  Hobart,    wreck    of,    251-263, 

267 
Lady  Fciirhyii,  559 
Lagos,  130 
La  Hogue,  639 
Lake,  Baron,  of  Delhi,  251 
Lake,  Capt.  the  Hon.  W.,  248 

—  court-martialled,  254-256 

—  leaves  Jeffery  on  Sombrero,  251 

—  takes  undue  credit  for  attack  on 

Albion,  248,  249 
Lake  family,  arms  of,  251 
Lake,  Gerard,  Viscount,  248 
Lally,  Count  de,  159,  161 
Lamartine,  596 
Lambesso,  280 
Lanarth,  370,  374 
Lanbetherick,  723 
Lancaster,  Duke  of,  434 
Landen,  battle  of,  12 
Lander,  Benjamin,  272,  273 
Lander,  Richard,  189 
Landewednack,  244 
Landguard  Fort,  441 
Landrake,  12 


3  c 


754 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Land's  End,  19,  21,  60,  67,  143, 
425,   500,    502,    537,  621,  633, 

675 
Landulph,  126,  226,  727,  729 
Laneast,  83 
Lane  End,  120 
Langdon,  Mr.,  375 
Lang  ford,  loS 
Langhorn,  12S 
Lanherne,  661 
Lanhydrock,     206,     718,    722,    724, 

726 
Lanlivery,  224 
Lansdown,  183 
Lansellyn,  528 
Lanteglos,  298,  424-426 
Lanyon  Quoit,  680 
Laocoon,  187 
Lappet,  466 
Larvcs    of  British    Btttterjlies    and 

Moths,  147 
Last  Days  of  Percy  Bysshe  Shelley, 

The,  454 
Laud,  Archbishop,    28,    33,  37,  38, 

334 

Lauderdale,  Duke  of,  551 

Lauderdale,  Lady,  509,  511 

Launcells,  156,  205,  223 

Launceston,  72,  73,  77,  79,  80,  83, 
89,  III,  136,  140,  178,  179, 
184,  204,  389,  395,  402,  466, 
555,  560,  568,  573.  589,  627, 
656,  663,  670,  671 

Launceston  Assizes,  654 

Launceston  Castle,  659,  661 

Launceston  Gaol,  653,  661 

Launceston  Free  School,  73,  80 

Launceston  Past  and  Present,  82 

Laurence,  Dr.  Thomas,  299 

Laurence,  Elizabeth,  299 

Laurence,  George,  642 

Laurence,  Major,  162 

La  Vakitr,  643 

Lawhadden,  32 

Laureate,  Richard,  405 

Lazarus  II,  729 

Lean,  Miss,  683 

Lebanon,  597 

Lee,  300 

Lee,  Amelia,  669 

Lee,  Dr.,  81,  82 

Lee,  Francis,  730 

Lees,  607 

Leeward  Is.,  252 

Legacy  of  a  Dying  Father,  38,  44,  45 


Legend  of  S.  Samson,  83 
Leghorn,  477 
Leland,  247,  652 
Lemon,  Bill,  575 
Lemon,  Major  William,  345 
Lemon,  Sir  Charles,  1S7,  188 
Lemon,  Sir  William,  344 
Lemon,  William,  his  chough,  343 

—  mining  ventures  of,  342,  343 

—  respect  for,  344 
Lenox,  642,  643 
Lenox,  Duke  of,  331 
Lens,  Mr.  Serjeant,  520 
Leominster,  Baron,  135 
Lesneuth,  227 

n Esprit  de  Monsieur  Arnaud,  104 

Lesser  Antilles,  251 

Le  Strange,  Hammond,  335 

Lethbridge,  Christopher,  568 

Lethbridge,  Harriet,  568 

Lethbridge,  John  King,  83 

Lethbridge,  Mr.,  422 

Letter  to  the  Rev.    Wni.  Cockburne, 

328 
Levant,  500 
Leverrier,  87,  88 
Lewes,  Dr,  Richard,  531 
Lezant,  81,  224,  225,  226 
Lias,  blue,  4 
Liberation  Society,  627 
Lichfield,  32 
Lidcott,  83,  89 
Liege,  372 
Life  and  Extraordinary  Adventures 

of  Sir  William  Courtenay,  613 
Life  of  Francis  Tregian,  662 
Life  of  King  Charles  /,  335 
Life  of  Lord   Chancellor  Hardwick, 

369 
Life  of  The  Prince  Consort,  622 
Life  of  Robert  Jeffery ,  2^y 
Life  of  Samuel  Drew,  346,  363 
Life    of    Vice-Admiral  Sir    C.     V, 

Penrose,  514 
Life  of  William  Pengelly,  1 1 
Lightfoot,  William,  117 

—  confession  of,   120 

—  executed,  122 

—  murders  Norway,  119 
Lillo,  619 

Limelight,  discovery  of,  203,  205 
Lincoln,  517 
Lincoln's  Inn,  329,  335 
Linkinhorne,  81,  91,  95 
Linley,  378 


INDEX 


755 


Lion,  The,  600 

Lisbon,  458,  463,  661,  662 

Liskeard,    191,  206,  207,  349,    350, 

408,  577,  sSi 
Literary  Characters,  360 
Litterbury,  Robert,  542 
Little  Holland  House,  327 
Little  Petherick,  73 
Littleton,  330 
Lively,  602 
Liverpool,  198 
Liverpool,  200,  232,  233,  361,  380, 

595.  667 
Lives  of  some  Emiiient  Persons,  178 
Lives  of  the  Engineers,  198  note 
Lives  of  the  English  Saints,  555 
Lives  of  the  I/lustriotis,  363 
Lizard,  The,  59,  60,  173,  370,  372, 

407 
Llenda,  12 

Lloyd,  John,  104,  238 
Loader,  Edmund,  643 
Loando,  412 
Lobb,  Mr.,  535 
Lockart,  Colonel,  47,  48 
Locke,  William,  221,  357 
Locker,  Captain,  648  note 
Lockhart,  David,  418,  420 
Locomotives  invented,  193 
Lodeman,  Jane,  99 
Loe  Bar,  59 
Loe  Pool,  59 
Logan  Rock  of  S.  Levan,  described, 

18,  19 

—  displaced  by  Goldsmith,  19,  680 

—  replaced,  23 

Lombard,  Rev.  Daniel,  previous  life 
of,  424 

—  seeks  Lanteglos,  425 

—  simplicity  of,  425 
Lombee,  413 

London,  198,  204,  361,  377,  387, 
389,  435,  481,  517,  537,  542, 
569,  599,  602,  609,  617,  620, 
625,  628,  661,  707,  721 

London  Bridge,  678 

Londonderry,  Earl  of,  318 

Long  Island,  688 

Long,  John,  405 

Longevity,  Rules  for,  635 

Longman,  Rees  &  Co.,  346 

Looe,  5  ;  see  also  East  Looe 

Looe,  247 

Looe  Island,  354 

Lopes,  Sir  Manasseh,  515,  521 


Lopes,  bribery  at  Grampound,  523-4 

Lo7d  Nelson,  250 

Lord  of  the  Isles,  86 

Lostwithiel,  503,  525 

Loiidon^s    Architectural    Magazine, 

570 
Lourdes,  542 
Louis  XIV,  372,  546 
Louis  XV,  161 
Love  at  First  Sight,  548 
Lovers^  Vows,  469 
Lowell,  J.  R.,  70 
Lower  family,  the,  126,  129 
Lower,  Dr.  Richard,  129 
Lower,  Elizabeth,  129 
Lower,  John,  126 
Lower,  Lady,  729 
Lower,  Sir  Nicholas,  126,  729 
Lower,  Sir  William,  126-29 

—  his  works,  128 

—  Royalist  soldier,  126 
Lower  Tooting,  568 
Ludgvan,  343,  682,  683 
Ludlow's  account  of  Peters,  28,  36,  52 
Luellin,  548 

Lumley's  Horse,  15 
Luttrell,  Narcissus,  100,  403 
Lydiard,  Captain,  60 
Lyell,  Sir  Charles,  10 
Lyme,  36 
Lyme  Regis,  4 
Lyne,  Amye,  408 
Lyne,  Rev.  John,  408 
Lyra,  506 

Lysons  Brothers,  156 
Lyttleton,  Christiana,  319 
Lyttleton,  George,  Lord,  319 
Lyttleton,  Lord,  699  note 

Mabe,  179 

MacAlister,  Dr.  Donald,  90 

Macaulay,  T.  B.,  209,  216,  220,  305 

—  on  East  India  Company,  481,  485 

—  on  Hugh  Speke,  102 
MacCartney,     General,     flight      of, 

314-15 

—  second  to  Mohun,  311-15 
Macclesfield,    Earl   of,    299,    307-8, 

310,  317 
Mace,  328 

MacEnery,  Rev.  J.,  8 
Mackintosh,  Brigadier,  13,  15 
Macklin,  285 
Maclean,  Sir  H.,  716 
Maclean,  Sir  William,  225 


756 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Madras,  158-9,  161,  164,  479 

—  siege  of,  162-4 
Madron,  620 
Madura,  164 
Maharatta  War,  251 
Mahomet  Ali,  459,  462 
Mahomed  Usuff  Cavvn,  164 
Mahony,  Matthew,  28 1 
Mahrattas,  the,  480,  487 
Maidment,  Mr.,  236-7 
Maidstone  Assizes,  602,  611,  613 
Mail-coaches,  628,  663 

—  introduced,  377 
Mainwaring,  Charlotte,  298 
Mainwaring,  Thomas,  298 
Maitland,  Sir  Thomas,  508-9,  511 
Major,  Margery,  406 

Malabar  coast,  479 

Malaga,  639 

Malaprop,  Mrs.,  468 

Malta,  458,  507,  599 

Mammoth  Bones,  9 

Manaccan,  500 

Manacles,  The,  370 

Manby,  Captain  G.  VV. ,  64 

Mancenille  Bay,  24S 

Manchester,  13,  198 

Manchester,  Lord,  724,  725 

Manila,  123 

Mansa,  417 

Mansel,  Hon.  Robert,  648 

Mansfield,  Lord,  295,  630 

Mansion  House,  620 

Mantle,  Isabel,  614,  616 

Mantle,  Nicholas,  614 

Manuel,  Emperor,  727 

Mar,  Earl  of,  515 

Marazion,  242,  343,  476,  477 

Marblehead,  252 

Marcella,  299 

Margate,  465 

Margytte,  William,  393 

Mark,  Henry,  627 

Market  Street,  Falmouth,  632 

Markham,  Clement  R.,  16S 

Marlborough,  Duke  of,  309,  372 

Marmion,  Shakerly,  547 

Marner,  Edmund,  393 

Marsden,  380 

Marsh,  Samuel,  277 

Marshall,  188 

Marshalsea,  661 

Marsha  m,  Hon.  Elizabeth,  649 

Marsham,  Sir  Robert,  64S 

Martharwyler,  Elsota,  614 


Martharwyler,  Meliora,  614-616 
Martharwyler,  Symon,  614 
Martin,  Sir  Theodore,  622 
Martin,  Thomas,  jun. ,  584 
Martin,  Tobias,  acquires  French,  580 

—  in  the  tin-mines,  579-583 

—  poems  of,  579,  585 

—  unjustly  accused  of  falsifying,  583 
Martinique,  258,  321 

Martyn,  Humphry,  538 

—  visits  Anne  Jefferies,  532 
Martyn,  Mary,  531 
Marty7-ologie,  557 
Marwood,  Judge,  655 
Mary,  137 
Mary-le-bone,  622 

Mary  of  Orange,  12S 
Mary,  Queen,  30,  516,  518,  524 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  657 
Masakka,  416 
Mashaw,  Mrs.,  310 
Massachusetts,  34,  252 
Massacre  of  the  Huguenots,  653 
Matthews,  Mr.,  71 

—  on  Incledon,  381 
Mattock,  Mary,  404 
Mattocks,  Mrs.,  468 
Maunder,  Mr.,  589 
Maurice,  Prince,  41,  722 
Mauritius,  160 
Mavrocordato,  446,  448,  449 
Mayne,  Cuthbert,  653 

—  execution  of,  658 

—  indicted  of  treason,  655 
Mayor  of  Bodmin,  586-592 
Mayor  of  Ganatt,    The,  293 
Mayow,  591 

Mawgan,  173,  329 
Mazapore,  487 
Mazarin,  Cardinal,  47 
M'Bima,  420 
McColl  Clan,  154 

McGregor,  Sir  Duncan,  on  the  burn- 
ing Kent,  490-496 
McKernow,  Mr.,  410 
McTab,  Mrs.,  468 
Meares,  Nicholas,  608,  610,  611 
Meares,  Mr.,  611,  612 
Mechanic's  Magazine,  90 
Melcombe,  Lord,  294 
Melhuc  Mouth,  114 
Melville,  Lord,  506 
Memoir,  a  Defence  of  Hugh  Peters, 

53 
Memoirs  of  C.  M.    \ottng,  578 


INDEX 


757 


Memoirs   of  Edmund   Ludlow,    28, 

52 
Memoirs  0/  the  Last    Ten    Years   of 

George  II,  279 
Memoirs  of  Missiotiary  Priests,   556 

note 
Memoir  on  the  Indian  Surveys,  168 
Memorials  of  English  Affairs,  52 
Memories  of  Old  Friends,    188 
Menai  Straits  Bridge,  678 
Menheniot,  243 

Merchant  Taylors'  School,  98,  424 
Merthyr  Tydvil,  193 
Merton,  225 
Mesoleius  Bignellii,  147 
Messiah,  heralds  of  the,  596-9 

—  pretended,  606-11 
Methodism  in  Cornwall,  59,  360 
Methodist  class  meetings,  691 
Mevagissey,  516 

Mewton,  Paul,  631 

Mexborough,  Lord,  290 

Michell,  Laurence,  615 

Middlecoat,  Mr.,  525 

Middle  Temple,  96 

Middleton,  Corporal,  418,  421 

Middleton,  Sir  Charles,  166 

Milehouse,  150 

Miles,  Sir  Jonathan,  526 

Milford,  Mr.,  519 

Milk  Street,  113 

Mill  family,  the,  156,  158 

Mill,  Captain  Richard,  542 

Mill,  John,  156 

Mill,  Judith,  157 

Millais,  J.  E.,  454 

Millbay,"  146 

Millbrook,  141,  354 

Millennium  expected,  596 

Miller,  A.,  275 

Miller's  Daughter,  664 

Millett,  Miss,  364 

Mills,  Anne,  398 

Mills  J.,  398 

Millwood,  Constable,  610 

Milton,  John,  45,  207,  209 

Minej~va,  408 

Mining,  hardships  of,  696 

Minor,  The,  291 

Mirror,  198 

Miser,  The,  466 

"  Miseries  of  the  Poor,"  107 

Mission  to  Fuegans,  232-7 

Mitchell,  517,  518 

—  elections  at,  518,  529 


Mithras,  8 

Mocha,  482 

Modern  Geography,  233 

Mogford,  90 

Mogul,  Great,  251,  483 

Mohammed,  728 

Mohun  family,  the,  298 

—  Baron  John,  298 
Mohun,  Charles,  Lord,  318 

—  character  of,  306,  307,  308,  310 

—  conspires  with    Hill   for    Mount- 

ford's  murder,  299-304,  306 

—  duel  with   Lord  Hamilton,  310- 

317 

—  go-between  in  duels,  309 

—  marriage  of,  298,  299 

—  tried  for  murder,  305-307 
Mohun,  Elizabeth,  298 
Mohun,  Sir  Reginald,  298 
Mohun,  Sir  William,  298 
Mohun,  Warwick,  Lord,  298 
Mohun,  WiUiam,  298 
Mold,  570 

Molesworth,  Rev.  W.,  121,  125 

Molesworth,  Sir  William,  125,  569 

Mollington,  726 

Monck,  Dorothy,  134 

Monck,  Sir  Thomas,  134 

Monk,  General,  28,  481 

Monmouth,  Duke  of,  96,  105 

Monte  Cristo,  248 

Montonere,  Viscount  de  la,  716 

Moorfields,  552 

Moravian  Brethren,  232 

Morea,  446,  728 

Morell,  Mary,  34 

Moreman,  Dr.,  243 

Morice  Town,  55 

Morley  House,  148 

Morning  Leader,  62  note 

Morning  Post,  578 

Morocco,  707 

Morris,  J.,  662 

Morris,  Mr.,  556  note 

Morshead,  Captain,  237 

Morval,  12,  388,  398 

Morwenstow,  73,  94 

Mother  Bank,  560 

Mould,  Lieutenant  R.  C,  251 

Mousehole,  233,  235,  239,  240,  241, 

245.  470 
Mount  Calvary,  680 
Mount  Charles  turnpike  gate,  120 
Mount  Edgcumbe,  Lord,  573 
Mount  Edgcumbe  Terrace,  633 


758 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Mount  Parnassus,  446 
Mount's  Bay,  131,  239,  620 

Mountain,  Bishop  of  London,  27 

Mountford,  Hill's  attack  on,  300-304 

—  murder  of,  299-304 

Mountford,  Mrs.,  300,  304 

"Mr.  Campbell's  Pacquet,"  72 

Mudge,  Capt.  Zachariah,  248,  249 

Mudge,  Mary  Ann,  5 

Mug,  Matthew,  294 

Muley-el-Iiassan,  716 

Muley  Spha,  708 

Muley  Suliman,  713 

Mulgrave,  Lord,  377 

MuUion,  60,  61 

Munns,  Nathaniel,  275 

Murphy,  288,  295 

Murray,  Captain,  500,  502 

Murray,  John,  11,  514 

Murray,  Lord  Charles,  15 

Murray,  Sir  Robert,  552 

Murray's  Family  Library,  53 

Musical  Memoirs,  383 

Mylor,  178 

Mynns,  Sir  Christopher,  637 

Mysore,  164 

Mystery  Plays,  680 

Nairn,  Lord,  15 
"Naked  Gospel,"  219 
Namur,  siege  of,  12 
Nancarrow,  John,  242 
Nancegollan,  364 
Nankevill,  Thomas,  528 
Napoleon,  318,  505,  507,  509 
Narborough,  James,  643 
Narborough,  Sir  John,  637,  638,  643, 

644 
Nares,  Judge,  375 
Narrative    of   the    Life     of    Robert 

Jeffcry,  257 
Naseby,  51 
Nash,  515 

Natural  History  of  the  County,  240 
Naval  History  of  Great  Britain,  257, 

626 
Naworth,  555,  557 
Nazarites,  511 
Negropont,  447,  449 
Nelson,  Lord,  259,  260,  267,  443 
—  the  famous  signal,  269 
Nepean,  565 

Neptune,  discovery  of,  86 
Neota,  168,  423 
New,  Philip,  328 


New  Brentford,  338 

New  Bond  Street,  323 

New  Russell  Court,  328 

New  South  Wales,  560-8 

New  Theatre,  285 

Newbury,  722 

Newcastle,  Duke  of,  293 

Newcomen,  Thomas,  342 

Newfoundland,  264,  265 

Newgate,  272,   275,   276,   277,   389, 

390,  392,  395 
Newgate  Prison,  671,  673 
Newgate  Calendar,  382 
Newlyn,  130,  432,  620 
Newman,  Miss,  141 
Newnham,  607 
Newport,  518 
Newport,  Mr.,  322 
"  New  Song  on  the  Wrestling  Match 

between     Cann     and     Polking- 

horne,"  58 
Ncius  frotn  Ipswich,  337 
News  from    Petirin,    in    Cornwall, 

1618,  615 
Newton  Ferrers,  388,  396 
Newtown,  554 

New  York,  53,  477,  685,  686 
Nice,  697 
Nicely,  Mrs.,  469 
Nicholl,  H.  G.,  168,  191 
NicoUs,    Lieutenant    Edward,    248, 

249 
Nicholas,  Secretary,  129,  207 
Niger,  the,  189 
—  exploration  of  the,  409 
"  Night  I  Married  Susy,  The,"  58 
Nimble,  H.M.S.  cutter,  19 
Nine  Maidens,  693 
Nineteenth  Century,  541  note 
Ninnis,  Rev.  James,  71 
Nithsdale,  Lord,  15 
Noah,  or  Noye,  339 
Noki,  414 

Nolan,  Rev.  E.,  556  note 
Noles,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  342  note 
Nonjurors,  210 
Norden,  105,  244 
Norfolk,  Duke  of,  657 
Norfolk  Island,  settlement  on,  564- 

567 
Norfolk  Street,  301 
Normandy,  373 
North  End,  293 
North,  Lord,  525 
"  North- West  Passage,  The,"  454 


I 

i 


INDEX 


759 


Northampton,  135 
Northmore,  Mr.,  8 
Northrussell,  388 
Northumberland,  Duke  of,  29 
Norway,  415 
Norway,  Edmund,  122,  124 

—  dreams  of  his  brother's  murder, 

123 
Norway,  Nevill,  122 

—  murder  of,  117-121,  123,  125 
Norway,  William,  117 
Norwich,  Earl  of,  39 

Notes  and  Queries,  556  note 

Nottingham,  434 

Nottingham,  Earl  of,  211,  216,  305, 

435 
Nova  Scotia,  261 
Noy,  William,  329 
Noye  family,  the  arms  of,  341 
Noye,  Bridgeman,  341 
Noye,  Edward,  329,  338,  340 
Noye,  Hester,  341 
Noye,  Humphrey,  338,  340,  341 
Noye,  Katherine,  341 
Noye,  William,  675 

—  and  Jonson,  339 

—  character  of,  329,  340 

—  frames  ship-money  tax,  330-333 

—  invents  soap  monopoly,  332,  334 

—  M.P.  and  Attorney-General,  329 

—  on  Prynne,  335-337 

—  portrait  of,  340 

—  used  by  Laud,  335 

—  will  of,  338 
Nubia,  460 
Nursery,  the,  312 
Nye,  Philip,  48 

Oak-egger,  150 

Observations  on   the    West   Parts  of 

England,  405 
O'Callinghan,  Mr.,  526 
Ocean  Queen,  233,  234 
Odysseus,  446,  448,  449 
Okehampton,  298 
Old  Bailey,  275,  305,  671 
Old  Bunger,  620 
Old  Burlington  Street,  167 
Old  Curiosity  Shop,  Burton's,   633, 

636 
Old  Sarum,  318 
Old  Playgoer,  The,  379,  468 
Oldham,  464 
Omberslcy,  374 
Omer  Pasha,  449 


On  an  Improved  Mode  of  Fonning 

Water  Tanks,  679 
On  the  Constriiction  of  Tanks,  679 
On  the  Divinity  of  Christ  and  the 

Eternal  Sonship,  361 
On     the     selfsupp07-ting     Reading, 

Writing,  and  Agriculttiral  School 
at  Willingdon  in  Sussex,  679 
Opie,  John,  173 
Opie,  jun. ,  Mr.,  71 
Oporto,  267 

Orange  Coffee  House,  383 
Orators,  289 

Orchard  family  the,  156,  165 
Orient,  122 
Orion,  84 
Orion,  260 
Orissa,  160 
Orleans,  Duke  of,  318 
Orlebar,  Mr.,  311 
Ormond,  Duke  of,  309,  639 
Ormsby,  556  note 
Orthez,  505 

Oryo,  Philip  de,  137,  138 
Osborne,  187 
Oscott,  662 
Oswestry,  112 
Otaheite,  566 
Othello,  285 
Otter,  Tom,  550 
Ottery  S.  Mary,  225,  7.04 
Ottey,  Mr.,  327 
Owen,  Mr.,  275,  276 
Oxburgh,  Colonel,  14 
Oxford,  27,  87,   126,   177,  206,  207, 

219,   284,   329,    424,   544,    554, 

557.  675,   722 
Oxford  Street,  326 

Packet  of  Boston,  685 
Padlock,  The,  375 
Padstow,  73,  83,  192,  427,  541 
Page,  John, 665 
Page,  Mr.,  301,  302,  303 
Paine,  T.,  358 
Painpol,  580 

Pakenham,  Sir  Edward,  320 
Palace  of  Architectu7-e,  570 
Palamata,  164 

Paleologus  family,  the,  727-73° 
Paleologus,  Constantino,  727,  728 
Paleologus,  Demetrius,  728 
Paleologus,  Dorothy,  730 
Paleologus,      General      Andronicus, 
727 


I 


760 


CORNISH   CHARACTERS 


Paleologus,  Theodore,  his  tomb- 
stone, 727 

—  marriage  of,  727,  729 

Pall  Mall,  299,  312 

Palmer,  Mr.,  377 

Pancrasweek,  108,  109 

Panter,  Brigadier,  15 

Papillon,  Thomas,  483,  484 

Paragraph,  Peter,  289 

Parasites,  149,  152 

Parga,  509 

Paris,  288,  322,  333,  5S0,  653 

Park,  Mr.  Justice,  603 

Park,  Mungo,  409 

Parke,  Mr.,  on  Incledon,  383,  3S6 

Parker,  Matthew,  31 

Parker,  Mr.,  420 

Parkes,  William,  405 

Parkinson,  565 

Parliament  House,  40 

Parliamentarian  Army,  39 

Parochial  History  of  CormvaH,  167, 
369,  680 

Parramatta,  568 

Farsoit's  Wedding,  The,  547,  548 

Passages,  504,  506 

Passages  from  the  Autobiography  of  a 
Man  of  Kent,  613 

Patagonia,  232 

Paternoster  Row,  171,  613 

Patrick,  Simon,  209,  213 

Patriotic  Fund,  250 

Patron,  The,  294 

Pattison,  Mr.  S.  R.,  on  Sir  C.  Shovel, 
644,  651 

Paul,  241,  244,  245,  622 

Paul  Pier,  247 

Paul  Pry,  664 

Pawlet,  Earl,  309 

Paxo,  449 

Payhembury,  225 

Payne,  Anthony,  burial  of,  1S4 

—  examples  of  strength,  182 

—  gigantic  proportions  of,  181,  184 

—  his  portrait  by  Kneller,   183,  184, 

185 

—  valour  in  fight,   182,  183 
Payne,  John,  591 

"  Payne's  cast,"  182 
Peace  Pages,  699 

Pearce,  John,  volunteers  for  Terra 
del  Fuego,  233 

—  dies  of  privations,  236 
Pearn,  Mr.  S.,  190 
Pellow,  John,  707 


Pellow,  Sir  Edward,  456 
Pellow,  Thomas,  escapes  to  England, 
716 

—  is  given  a  wife,  709 

—  military  ability  of,  712 

—  refuses  admission  to  the  Sultan, 

708 

—  taken  captive  by  the  Moors,  707 
Pembroke  College,  Cambridge,  516 
Pembroke  College,  Oxford,  676 
Pencarrow,   117,  120,  569 
Pendavey  Bridge,  118,  120,  121 
Pendennis,  454 

Pendennis  Castle,  133,  135,  139,  244, 

366,  498 
Pendinas  Point,  528 
Pendrea,  329 
Penfoot,  80 
Pengelly  family,  the,  i 
Pengelly,  Hester,  11 
Pengelly,  Richard,  becomes  a  sailor, 

Pengelly,    William,    advice   to    geo- 
logical students,  10 

—  birth  of,  I 

—  characteristics  of,  10 

—  early  escape  from  fire,  i 

—  explorations  of,  7 

—  first  geological  lesson,  4 

—  his    geological    finds     at    Kent's 

Cavern,  8,  9 

—  his  life  at  sea,  2,  4 

—  library  of,  2 

—  starts  school  at  Torquay,  5 

—  visits  a  mathematical  friend,  6 
Pengersick,  136 

Penhall,  554 
Penheale,  184 

Penlez,      Boscawen,      arrested      for 
Strand  riots,  272,  274,  276,  277 

—  executed,  274,  278 
Pennance  Farm,  632 
Pennick,  Mr.  Harry,  646 
Pennington  family,  the,  224 

—  arms  of,  224 

Pennington,  Bernard,  224,  225 
Pennington,  Christopher,  225,  226 
Pennington,  FitzAnthony,  225 
Pennington,  John,  224,  225,  226 
Pennington,  Robert,  224 
Pennington,  Susanna,  226 
Pennington,  Thomas,  225 
Pennington,  William,  226 
Penny  Magazine,  187 

Penpont,  186,  187,  191 


f 

f 

I 


INDEX 


761 


Penrose,  170,  172,  6S2 
Penrose  family,  the,  500 
Penrose,  Rev.  John,  500,  514 
Penrose,     Sir    Charles     Vinicombe, 
gallant  action  in  Spain,  504,  505 

—  hardships  at  sea,  501 

—  promotions  of,  503,  507 

—  slighted  by  the  Admiralty,  507 

—  visits  Ali  Pasha,  509-13 
Penryn,  133,   134,  135,   137-40,  179, 

478,    518,    614,  619,    677,  707, 
717 

—  elections  at,  519-21,  529 

—  stocks  of,  633 

Pentillie  Castle,  389,  400-1,  403-4, 

406 
Pentreath,  Dolly,  622 

—  death  and  epitaph  of,  241-2 

—  last  speaker  of  Cornish,  238-45 

—  personal  appearance  of,  240 

—  saves  a  deserter,  245 
Pentreath,  Nicholas,  245 
Penwarden,  Catherine,  467 
Penweyre,  John,  614 
Penweyre,  Thomas,  614 
Penwith,  244,  340 

Penzance,  19,  22,  63,  142,  144,  171, 
233,  238-9,  241,  342,  349,  368, 
470,  472-3,  4^0,  516,  620,  675- 
6,  684,  686 

—  pirates  at,  130-2 

Penzance   Natural   History   Society, 

649 
Penzance  Public  Library,  143 
Peppermint,  Billy,  630 
Pepys,  Samuel,  50 

—  on  Killigrew,  547-8,  551 

—  on  Lord  Roberts,  726 
Pequot  Indians,  35 

Perceval,  Mr.,  assassinated,  427-30 

Percival,  Sir  John,  113 

Ferdrix,  320 

Pere  Daniel,  426 

Pesaro,  727 

Pesca  Post,  688 

Pescott,  Sir  Thomas,  126 

Pestalozzian  system,  5 

Peterborough,  Dean  of,  213 

Peterson,  Lieutenant,  320 

Peters,  Elizabeth,  45 

Peters,   Hugh,    accusations    against, 

SI 

T-  appropriates  moneys,  35,  46 

—  at  Dunkirk,  47 

—  at  S.  Sepulchre's,  27 


Peters,  a  Trier,  43 

—  at  Worcester,  38 

—  birth  and  family  of,  26 

—  chaplain  to  Cromwell,  45 

—  chaplain  to  Parliamentarians,  36 

—  character  of,  26,  28,  35,  42,  45, 

48 

—  collector  for  the  distressed,  36,  46 

—  commissioner  of  law,  44 

—  education  and  conversion,  27 

—  goes  to  New  England,  34 

—  humorous  tales  of,  48,  49,  50 

—  incites  regicide   by  sermons   and 

personal  influence,   40,   41,  43, 

.  50 

—  intercedes  for  Dutch,  46,  47 

—  life  in  Rotterdam,  28,  34 

—  married,  28,  35,  45 

—  rumoured  executioner,  42 

—  stormy  petrel  of  rebellion,  36,  37, 

38 

—  trial  and  death  of,  51,  52 

—  turns  Independent,  34,  37 
Peters,  Mary,  580 

Peters,  Rev.  Samuel,  53 

Peters,  Thomas,  26 

Pethebridge  and  Dingley,  72 

Philadelphia,  688 

Philip  and  IVIary,  524 

Philip  II,  137 

Philleigh,  225 

Phillips,  Captain  Arthur,  559 

Philpot,  Catherine,  594 

Philpot,  Julia,  594 

Philpott,  John,  390,  392,  393 

Phanix,  11. M.S.,  486 

Phaiitx,  640,  643,  649 

Phcenix  in  Her  Flames,  The,  128 

Piccadilly,  328 

Piccadilly,  Marquis  of,  386 

Pickle,  443 

Pickle,  Mrs.,  469 

Piedmont,  46 

Pigot,  Admiral 

Pigot,  Mr.,  162 

Pike  family,  the,  171 

Pilchards,  707 

—  prayed  for,  178 
Pilkington,  100 
Pinkerton,  233 
Pioneer,  232,  234 

Piracy,  Commissioners  for,  138 
Pirate  Trelawny,  45 1  note,  454 
Pirates,  136 

—  Algerian,  332,  333,  507,  715 


762 


CORNISH   CHARACTERS 


Pirates  at  Penzance,  130-2 

—  attack  the  Windsor  Castle,  623-5 

—  Avery,  173 

—  from  Bohelland,  616 

—  methods  for  repression  of,  714 

—  Moroccan,  713,  715 

—  of  Tripoli  reduced  by  Shovel,  638 

—  Sallee,  707 

—  Trelawny,  guetii  vide 

—  Wahabee,  462 
Pitreavie,  648 

Pitt  family,  the,  318,  319 
Pitt,  J.,  257 
Pitt,  John,  542 

Pitt,    Moses,   his   account   of   Anne 
Jefferies,  531-41.  543 

—  publisher  and  builder,  542 
Pitt,  Robert,  318 

Pitt,  Thomas,  317 

—  discovers  diamond,  318 

Pitt,  Thomas,  Baron  Camelford,  319 
Pitt,  William,  166 

—  Earl  of  Chatham,  318 
Pius  II,  Pope,  728 

Pius  V,  30,  554,  652 

Pixy  seats,  59,  470 

Place,  26 

Plain     Statement    of    the     Bullion 

Question,  678 
Plato,  692 

Playfair,  William,  154,  156,  167 
Playhouse,  Drury  Lane,  552 
Pleasant     Historic    of     Thomas    of 

Reading,  iio 
Plough,  the,  84 

Plumer  and  Turner,  Messrs.,  594 
Plumtre,  Mr.,  231 

Plunket,  Francis,  662 

Plym  Bridge,  148 

Plymouth,  55,  92,  131.  'Si.  165, 
183,  189,  250,  319,  349.  376, 
399,  443>  506,  570,  633,  645, 
663,  665,  666,  724 

Plymouth  Institution,  146 

Plymouth  and  Devonport  in  War 
and  Peace,  57  note 

Plymouth  Dock,  458 

Plymouth  Hoe,  573,  633 

Plymouth  Sound,  400,  506,  669 

Plympton,  148,  1 71 

Pneumatic  cure  for  phthisis,  676 

Pole,  C,  156 

Pole,  Michael  de  la,  433,  435 

Pole,  Wellesley  Long,  528 

Polgiau,  Maud,  614 


Political  Register,  257,  521 
Polkinghorne,  James, 

—  birth  of,  54 

—  death  of,  58 

—  wrestles  with  Cann,  55 
Polkinghorne,  Zechariah,  576 
Pollard,  John,  223,  224,  269 
Pollard,   Commander   John,    signals 

at  Trafalgar,  269 
Polpea,  351 
Polperro,  248,  253,  256 

—  described,  247 
Polwhele,  340 

Polwhele,  Richard,  91,  346,  360 

—  on  Samuel  Foote,  283 

—  on  Sir  C.  Hawkins,  517 
Polwheyrell,  Isabel,  614,  615 
Polwheyrell,  James,  614 
Polwheyrell,  Joan,  614,  615 
Polwheyrell,  Margery,  614 
Polwheyrell,  Nichola,  614 
Polwheyrell,  Nicholas,  614 
Polwheyrell,  Richard,  614 
Pomeroy,  Sir  Thomas,  588,  589,  592 
Pomfret,  135 

Pondicherry,  158,  160,  161 

Ponsonby,  Lady,  509 

Poor  Soldier,  The,  378 

Pope,  Miss,  468 

Popjoye,  Cavals,  402 

Porciipine,  504,  506 

Port  Jackson,  561 

Port  Mahon,  507 

Port  Wrinkle,  354 

Porter,  Mr.  P.  E.  B.,  on  Ann  Glan- 

ville,  665 
Porth,  631 

Porthellic  Cove,  644,  646 
Porthallow,  370 
Porthleah,  471 
Porthleven,  61,  62,  582,  699 
Porthoustock,  370 
Portland,  Duke  of,  166,  323 
Portman  Square,  630 
Porto  Praya,  410 
Portraits    of    Remarkable     Persons, 

369 
Portsmouth,  254,  373,  503,  560,  667, 
Portsmouth,  Earl  of,  640 
Portugal,  King  of,  661 
Postmaster-General,  H.M.,  625 
Potheridge,  134 
Potomac,  687 
Poughill,  205 
Poundstock,  114 


INDEX 


763 


Powderham  Castle,  600,  601 

Powell,  Edward,  557 

Powell,  Mr.,  300 

Pownall,  Mr.,  525 

Praed  family.  The,  524,  580 

Praed,  Florence,  516 

Praed,  James,  516 

Praed,  Mr.  William,  171,  172 

Prayer  answered  by  a  vision,  3 

Prejus,  507 

Prendergast,  Lieutenant,  609,  610 

Pre-Roman  pottery,  9 

Prescot,  200 

President,  689 

Prestacott,  156 

Preston,  defence  of,  13,  14,  15 

Previsa,  508,  509 

Price,  Mr.,  612 

Price,  Sir  Rose,  683 

Pride,  Colonel,  40 

Prideaux  family.  The,  701 

Prideaux-Brune,  Chas.,  427 

Prideaux  Place,  427 

Prince    of  Army    Chaplains,     The, 

S3 
Prince  of  Oraiige,  320 
Prince  of  IPa/es,  458,  559 
Prince  of  Wales's  Coffee-house,  324 
Princes  Street,  301,  345 
Priske,  60,  65 
Prisoners  in  Morocco,  713 
Private    Journal    of  John    Byrom, 

279 
Probus,  396,  398,  403,  517,  652 
Prout,  Samuel,  i 
Prout,  Thomas,  361 
Proverbial  Philosophy,  692 
Prussia  Cove,  470,  471,  472 
Prussia,  royal  family  of,  471 
Prynne,  William,  41,  335-337 
Puddock,  714 
Puerta  Virgin  Islands,  250 
Pulman,  Rev.  P.  T. ,  82 
Punch,  464 
Puritans,  53 
Pusey,  Dr. ,  649 
Putney  Hill,  453 
Pyrenees,  504 

Quarry  Park,  80 
Queen  Charlotte,  259 
"Queen  of  Lebanon,"  596 
Quiberon,  130 
Quick,  381 
Quickly,  Dame,  469 


Quiller-Couch,  T.,  651 
Quin,  286 
Quirault,  126 

Rabat,  714,  715 
Rabbits  and  Onions,  573 
Radnor,  Earl  of,  539,  726 
Raleigh,  Sir  Waller,  134,  554 
Ralfs,    John,    botanical    studies    of, 

141-144 
Ralfs,  Samuel,  141 
Rame  Head,  354 
Ranzzini,  377,  379 
Rasel,  Khyma,  462 
Ratcliffe,  105 
Raw  Alley,  547 
Rawleigh,  398 
Raymond,  Mr.,  384 
Ray  Society,  147 
Read,  Colonel  Thomas,  28 
Read,  Edmund,  28 
Reading,  127 
Recollections  of  Shelley  and  Byron, 

452,  454 

Reco7-ds  of  a  Girlhood,  454 

Records  of  Shelley,  Byron,  and  the 
Author,  454 

Recruit,  H.  M.  brig,  248,  250,  252 

Redding,  Cyrus,  on  Bothathan  ghost, 
72 

"Red  Bull,"  551 

"  Red  Lion,"  Boughton,  6ro,  613 

"  Red  Lion,"  S.  Columb  Major,  54 

Redruth,  133,  191,  579,  701,  702 

Red  Sea,  chart  of,  460,  462 

Reed,  Captain,  609,  610 

Reeds,  205 

Reformation  riots,  5S7-592,  652 

Reform  Bill,  464,  530,  678 

Regattas  at  Saltash,  664 

Religion  in  England  after  Restor- 
ation, 212-221 

—  from  Reformation  to  Restoration, 

28-34,  44 
Reminiscences  of  Cambridge,  231 

—  of  Caroline  Fox,  86 
Remonstrance,  39 

Renegades      to      Mohammedanism, 

715,  716 
Resistance,  320 
Resprin,  701 

Restaden,  John,  615,  616 
Return,  485 
Rcvoluiionaire,  456 
Rheims,  662 


764 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Rhodes,  616 

Ribble,  the,  14 

Rich,  Lady  Lucy,  722 

Rich,  Robert,  722 

Rich,  Sir  Robert,  17 

Richard  II,  133,  432-9 

Richardson,  Captain,  460 

Richardson,  Judge,  331 

Richelieu,  332 

Richmond,  Edmund,  Earl  of,  32 

Ridgeway,  318 

Riding  Sherborne,  349 

Ridolphi,  657 

Riff  shore,  713 

Rigby,  Rt.  Hon.  Richard,  290,  291 

Riley,  714 

Rinsey,  478 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  560,  563 

Riot  raised  by  Tom,  the  pretended 

Messiah,  607-11 
Riou,  Captain,  319 
Rivers,  John,  390 
Riviera,  714 
Road  to  Ruin,  The,  469 
Robbins,  Benjamin,  157,  158 
Robbins,  Mr.  Alfred,  73,  80,  82 
Robartes  family,  the  arms  of,  726 

—  origin  of,  726 
Robartes,  Hon.  Russell,  726 
Robartes,  Mary  Vere,  726 
Robert  of  Arwenack,  133 
Roberts  family,  the  origin  of,  718 
Roberts,  John,  715,  719 

—  money  lender,  719,  720 
Roberts,  Matthew,  528 
Roberts,  Mr.  Tobias,  61 

Roberts,     Richard,    deals    in    furze, 
718 

—  first  Baron  Truro,  721 
Roberts,     Richard,     Lord,     at     the 

Restoration,  725 

—  fights  as  Parliamentarian,  722 

—  resigns  his  command,  725 
Roberts,  Robert,  alters  the  spelling, 

726 
Robertson,  Mr.,  523 
Robespierre,  477 
Robinson,  Dr.,  600 
Robinson,  Justice,  179 
Robinson,  Mr.  H.,  450,  451 
Robinson,  Rev.  F.,  244 
Robson,  William,  on  Incledon,  379 

—  on  Mrs.  Davenport,  468 
Rochester,  Bishop  of,  213 
Rochester,  Earl  of,  209 


Rocket,  198 

Rocket  apparatus  at  work,  68 

Rockets,  life-saving,  invented,  63-67 

—  need  of,  69 

—  results  of  use  of,  70 
Rodda,  Miss,  342 
Rodney,  Lord,  62,  130,  377 
Rogers  family,  the,  364 
Rogers,     Anne,     dispossessed     of 

Skewis,  365,  366 
Rogers,  Captain,  623,  683 
Rogers,     Captain     William,     meets 

with  pirates,  623-625 

—  portrait  of,  625,  626 

Rogers,  Henry,  flight  and  execution 
of,  367 

—  takes  possession  of  Skewis,  364- 

367 
Rogers,  Henry,  jun.,  368 
Rogers,  Mr.,  682 
Rogers,  Mr.  John  Jope,  171,  172 
Rogers,  Mrs.  Henry,  366 
Rogers,  Thomas,  71 
"  Rogue's  March,  The,"  515 
Roman  coins  in  S.  Budock,  632 
Roman  pottery  found  at  Torquay,  9 
Romance  of  the  Aristocracy,  299 
Rome,  31,  330,  453,  654,  662,  729 
Romeo  and  Juliet,  468,  695 
Romney,  Baron,  648 
Romney,    wreck    of    the,    640,   642, 

647,  650 
Rooke,  Admiral,  372,  639 
Rookwood,  605 
Rosalind,  467 
Roscadden,  Mr.,  176 
Roscarrock,  554 
Roscarrock,     Nicholas,    antiquarian 

and  poet,  554 

—  his  Lives  of  the  Saints,  555-558 

—  suffers  for  his  faith,  554,  555 
Roscarrock,  Richard,  554 
Roscarrock,  Trewenna,  557 
Roscoff,  477 

Rosegger,  P.,  574 

Rcse  Hotel,  Canterbury,  599 

Roseland,  225 

Rosemorryn,  133 

Rose  Tavern,  311 

Ross,  Major,  567 

Rosteague,  654 

Rotterdam,  28,  34 

Rough  Tor,  84,  85 

Routledge,  Messrs.,  622 

Rowley,  Admiral  Sir  Charles,  66 


I 


INDEX 


765 


Roxhill,  17 

Rox worthy,  341 

Royal  Anns,  640 

Royal  Astronomical  Society,  89 

Royal  Bounty  Fund,  699 

Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  141 

Royal   Commissioners   in   Cornwall, 

206 
Royal  Cornwall  Gazette,  23 
Royal  Cornwall  Polytechnic  Society, 

147, 187 
Royal  Hospital,  269 
Royal  Institution  of  Cornwall,    16S, 

185. 
Royal  Lifeboat  Association,  66 
Royal  Literary  Fund,  699 
Royal  Society,  679 
Royal  Standard,  16 
Ruby,  H. M.S.,  281,  282 
Rudall,  Parson,  82 
Ruddle,  Rev.  Dr.  John,  82 

—  author  of  A  Remarkable  Passage, 

72,  79,  80 

—  incumbent  of  Launceston,  73 

—  investigates  ghost  story,  76 

—  visits  Bothathan,  74 
Ruddle,  William,  79 
Rule,  Jane,  694,  697 
Rummer  Tavern,  299 
Rupert,  Prince,  41,  397 
Ruremonde,  372 
Rushworth's  Collections,  53 
Russell,  Captain,  667 
Russell,  execution  of,  209 

Russell,  Lord,  96,  485,  58S,  589,  592 
Russell,  Lord  John,  524 

—  sets  Tom  free,  603 
Russell,  Warder,  104 
Ruthin,  112 
Ruthven,  206 
Rutland,  Earls  of,  2S0 
Rye  House  Plot,  97,  4S5 

S.  Allen,  704,  705 

S.  Andrew's,  Holborn,  170 

S.  Antonine,  392 

S.  Antonio,  412 

S.  Anthony-in-Meneage,  500 

S.  Aubyn,  Sir  John,  367 

S.  Augustine,  362 

S.  Austell,  92,  346,  347,  349,  351,  356 

S.  Bartholomew's  Day,  653 

S.  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  469 

S.  Blazey,  347,  723 

S.  Breage,  55S,  718 


S.  Breock,  121,  125,  543 

S.  Breward,  226 

S.  Budock,  133,  614,632 

S.  Cleer,  173,  554 

S.  Clements,  280 

S.  Columb,  123,  341,  59;,  631 

S.  Columb  Major,  54,  58,  591,  593 

S.  Columba,  557 

S.  David's,  32 

S.  Domingo,  248 

S.  Dominic,  730 

S.  Dunstan's,  277 

S.  Earvin,  558 

S.  Einendar,  558 

S.  Endelion,  554 

S.  Enoder,  280 

S.  Erme,  133 

S.  Erth,  71,  192,  516,  675 

S.  Essye,  558 

S.  Eue,  558 

S.  Faith's,  27 

S.  Gennys,  96,  107 

S.  George,  640,  641,  647 

S.  George's,  London,  275 

S.  Germain,  310,  545 

S.  Germans,  518,  554 

S.  Giles,  Cambridge,  90 

S.  Helena  Is.,  123,  124 

S.  Helena,  480 

S.  Hilary,  649 

S.  Issey,  224 

S.  Ives,    169,    170,    172,    173,     177, 

179,    329,    515.    518,    528-530, 

591. 

—  elections  at,  524,  529 

—  free  school  at,  528 

—  Knill's  bequest  to,  173 
S.  Jago,  410 

S.  James's,  310,  316 
S.  James's  Park,  552 
S.  John's   College,    Cambridge,    85, 

88,  90 
S.  John's  College,  Oxford,  424 
S.  John's  Hospital,  144 
S.  John's,  Newfoundland,  264,   266, 

267 
S.  Just,  244,  495 
S.  Just-in-Penwith,  499 
S.  Keverne,  54,  370,  373,  375,  401, 

406,  587  note 
S.  Kew,  224 
S.  Kitts,  48S 
S.  Lawrence,  113 
S.  Levan,  18 
S.  Mabenna,  557 


766 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


S.  Mabyn,  224 

S.  Malo,  473 

S.  Martin's-by-Looe,  81 

S.  Martin's,  Exeter,  213,  225 

S.  Martin's  Islands,  643 

S.  Mary's,  Cambridge,  230 

S.  Mary's  College,  Oscott,  662 

S.  Mary's  Is.,  946,  647,  649 

S.  Mary  Magdalen,  Launceston,  73, 

467 
S.  Mary's,  Penzance,  622 
S.  Mary's,  Truro,  280  note 
S.  Mary  Woolnoth,  114 
S.  Mauban,  558 
S.  Mawes  Castle,  139 
S.  Mawes,  518,  623 
S.  Mellion,  388,  401 
S.  Merrine,  558 
S.  Michael,  Cornhill,  390,  392 
S.  Michael's  Mount,  592 
S.  Milior,  558 
S.  Neot,  94,  370 
S.    Paul's   Cathedral,   30,   207,   210, 

212 
S.  Paul's  Churchyard,  274,  542 
S.  Petersburg,  65 
S.  Que,  558 

S.  Samson,  legend  of,  83 
S.  Saviour's,  Dartmouth,  38 
S.  Sebastian,  137 
S.  Sepulchre,  27,  393 
S.  Teath,  531,  532,  542 
S.  Thomas,  25,  134 
S.  Thomas  by  Exeter,  588 
S.  Thomas-by-Launceston,  79 
S.  Udy,  126,  224 
S.  Winnow,  126,  206,  701 
Sabine,  General  Joseph,  716 
Sadler,  Captain,  365 
Sagacity,  animal,  351-354 
Saints,  Cornish,  557 
Saintsbury,  35 
Salem,  34 

Salisbury,  99,  112,  367,  377 
Salishury,  645 
Salisbury,  Bishop  of,  211 
Sallakey,  644 
Sallee,  707,  -14 
Salona,  447)  448 
Saltash,  85,  144,  147,  153,  206,  258, 

402,  518,  663,  665 
—  women  of,  663-669 
Saltpetre,  482 
Salvador  del  Rhindo,  260 
Sambhajee,  481,  483,  487 


Sampford  Courtenay,  588 

Samson,  182 

Samuel  Drew,  M.A.,  the  Self-Taught 

Cornishman,  363 
San  Esidero,  260 
San  Josef,  260 
San  Juan,  503 
San  Nicholas,  260 
Sanderson,  Sir  William,  615 
Sandry,  Hugh,  615,  616 
Sands  family,  The,  370 
Sands,   John,    kindness    requited   in 

Normandy,  373 
—  voyage  of,  370-372 
Sands,  Sampson,  370 
Sandys  family,  arms  of,  374 
Sandys,  Eleanor,  374 
Sandys,  George,  Lord,  340 
Sandys,  Henry,  340 
Sandys,  Hester,  340 
Sandys,  Lord,  374 
Sandys,  Mr.  William,  580 
Sandys,  Rev.  Sampson,  374 
Sandys,  William,  374 
Sanquila,  419 
Sans  Pareil,  195,  503 
Sansom,  Captain,  640 
Santa  Lucia,  376 
Santa  Maura,  446 
Santa  Trinidada,  260 
Sapell,  Earl  of  Somerset,  298 
Sapphire,  638 
Saragossa,  12 

Saulty,  Coimt  Joseph  de,  717 
Savage,  Viscount,  338 
Savoy,  the,  271 
Saxham,  546 

Scarborough,  559,  560,  561 
Scawen,  Mr.,  244 
Scilly  Islands,   407,   502,  640,    642, 

650 
Scobell,  Mr.,  299,  517 
Scorrier,  427,  429 
Screech,  Mrs.  Harriet,  667 
Seatonian  prize  poem,  231 
Seeker,  Archbishop,  291 
Secret   Memoirs  of  the  Life   of  Sir 

Cloudesley  Shovell,  65 1 
Sedgwick,  41 
Sedley,  Sir  Charles,  548 
"  See  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes," 

Self-denying  Ordinance,  725 
Self  Help,  363 
Selling,  607 


INDEX 


767 


Senis,  Mr.,  582 
Sennen,  238,  500, 
Serpentine,  64  note 
Servia,  King  of,  729 
Seven  Years'  War,  130 
Shaftesbury,  Earl  of,  96 
Shakespeare  Jubilee,  292 
Shakespeare's   Company  of  Players, 

27 
Shamans,  542 
Sharks'  Point,  421 
Sharp,  Dean  of  Norwich,  212 
Shays,  Dean,  215 
Sheffield,  189,  464 
Sheffield,  Deliverance,  35,  45 
Shelburne,  Lord,  166 
Shelley,  Mrs.,  452,  453 
Shelley,   P.   B.,  and  Trelawny,  446, 

453.  454 
Sherborne,  32,  349 
Sherborne  Mercury,  349 
Sheriffs  of  Cornwall,  J.  T.  WooUey, 

406 

—  Mr.  Trevanion,  389,  391 

—  Nicholas  Glyn,  280 

—  Richard  Tregeare,  364 

—  Sir  Richard  Granville,  653 

—  Sir  R.  Mohun,  298 

—  Sir  W.  Mohun,  298 

—  Thomas  Coke,  706 

—  William  Lemon,  344 

—  William  Williams,  403 
Shernick,  156,  157,  158 
She  SiooJ's  to  Conquer,  467 
Shetland  Isles,  501 

Shield,  Mr.,  378,  380,  383,  386 
Ship-money  tax,  330,  331 
Shipwreck  of  Sir  Clotides/ey  Shovell, 

648  note,  651 
Short,  Captain  John  T. ,  528 
Shovel,  Anne,  648 
Shovel,  Elizabeth,  648 
Shovel,  Lady,  643,  644,  646,  647 
Shovel,    Sir    Cloudesley,    at    Bantry 

Bay,  638 

—  at  Gibraltar,  639 

—  body  of,  found,  644-7 

—  burials  of,  644-8 

—  burns  pirate  boats  at  Tripoli,  638 

—  early  life  of,  637 

—  ignorant  of  latitude,  642,  650 

—  murder  of,  647 

■ —  promotions  of,  639 

—  story  of  a  curse  on,  641,  645 
Shrewsbury,  Lady,  552 


Shute  Street,  S.  Ives,  528 
Shuter,  287 

Sibthorpe,  Humphrey,  51? 
Siddee,  481,  483 

Siddons,  Mrs.,  and  Incledon,  379 
Sidmouth,  Lord,  680 
Sidney,  Sir  Algernon,  96,  485 
Signal  at  Trafalgar,  269 
Siliiswick,  607 
Simmons,  Mrs.,  324 
Simpson,  Jonathan,  reprieved  high- 
wayman, 671-4 

—  unhappy  marriage  of,  670 
Sion  College,  41 

Sir  Cloudesley  Shovell,  651 

Sirius,  560,  564,  566,  567 

Sirndia,  416 

Sithney,  500 

Sittingbourne,  607 

"Sketch    of   the    Botany    of    West 

Penwith,"  143 
Skewis,  364 

—  the  siege  of,  365-8 
Skillibegs,  54 
Skippon,  724 

Slanning,  Sir  Andrew,  531 
Slate,  how  worked,  186 
Smallridge,  Rev.,  219 
Smart,  Christopher,  231 
Smeaton's  Lighthouse,  633 
Smiles,  Samuel,   193,  194,   198  note, 

205,  363 
Smith,  Dr.  George,  694 
Smith,  Mr.  Jarrit,  281,  282 
Smith,  Professor,  409,  411,  414 

—  dies  on  the  Congo,  417-421 
Smith,  Sir  J.  E.,  143 
Smithfield,  30 

Smugglers,  defended  by  Tom,  602 

—  John  Carter,  471 

Smuggling,     172,     173  ;     disastrous, 

355  .     ^ 

—  from  Bessie's  and   Prussia  Cove, 

470-4 

—  prevention  of,  16 
Smyrna,  459 
Smythe,  Mrs.,  478 

Snow  and  Denne,  Messrs.,  276 

Snow,  Mr.,  375 

Soap  monopoly,  332,  334 

Society  of  Antiquaries,  241,  242 

Society  of  Arts,  67 

Soho  Square,  648 

Solander,  Dr.,  233 

Soldier's  Tear,  ^7 J 


768 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Sombrero,  250,  252 

Somerset,  Mohun,  Earl  of,  298 

Somerset,  Protector,  29,  518,  586 

Somerset  House,  203,  275 

Sompting,  453 

Songs,  "Black-eyed  Susan,  3S6 

—  "  Blow  high,  blow  low,"  376 

—  "  Heaving  of  the  Lead,"  386 

—  "I  burn,  my  brain  consumes  to 

ashes,"  299 

—  of  bell-ringing,  223 

—  of  Knill's  monument,  174 

—  of  "  Sir  William  Courtenay,"  604 

—  of  Tom  Dove,  113 

—  "The  bonny,  bonny  breeze,"  299 

—  "  The  Storm,"  379,  386 

—  "Total  Eclipse,"  378 

—  ' '  When  I  was  a  Shepherd's  Maid," 

375 
Sophia,  Princess,  308,  424 
Soult,  Marshal,  503,  505 
South  Hams,  243 

South  Petherwin,  72,  73,  79,  80,  Si 
South  Pool,  666 
South  Street,  Exeter,    145 
Southampton,  141,  377,  387,  642 
Southampton,  Earl  of,  305 
Southern  Pennair  River,  158 
Southill,  83,  243 
Sowerby,  James,  143 
Spalding,  Dr.,  6S5 
Sparrow,  Margaret,  178 
Speed  the  Plough,  469 
Speedtvell,  233,  235,  236 
Spectator,  The  2,  3 

—  "  the  lying  book,''  3 
Speeke,  Hugh,  99,  100,  102 

—  reports  murder  of  Essex,  99,  103 
Spence,  Captain,  490 

Spencer,  Edward,  250,  255 
Spithead,  296,  258,  503 
Spoiled  Child,  I'he,  469 
Sporting  Magazine,  The,  58 
Sprat,  Bishop,  213 
Spriggs,  Lydia,  7 
Stackhouse,  Mr.  John,  477 
Staines,  112 
Stamford  Hill,  182 
Stanhope,  Colonel,  447 
Stanhope,  General,  13 
Stanhope,  Lady  Hester,  S96-599 
Stanhope,  Mr.,  275,  276 
Stanhope,  Rt.  Hon.  William,  317 
Stanley,  R.  Fitzroy,  613 
Stannary  towns,  59 


Stanton,  Captain,  376 

Star  Chamber,  33,  334,  337 

Star,  The,  272 

State  Papers,  555,  556  note 

Statira,  300 

Statute  of  Prremunire,  654 

Steam  blast,  invented  and  utilized  by 

Gurney,  194-202 
Steam  boats  on  the  Delaware,  688 
Steam  carriages,  report  on,  200,  201 
Steam  engine  for  thrashing  corn,  527 

—  in  mines,  677 
Steam-pump,  342 
Steepleglas,  The,  554 
Steevens,  George,  231 
Stephens  family,  The,  524 
Stephens,  Mr.,  631 
Stephens,  Rev.  J.,  683 
Stephenson,  George,  193,   194,   igS. 

197 

—  not  inventor  of  steam-blast,   196, 

197 
Stevens,  Alexander,  386 
Stevens,  George,  231 
Stevens,  Mr.,  451 
Stiles,  Cornish,  680 
Stillingfleet,  209,  212 
Stirling,  28 
Stirling,  Mr.,  418 
Stirling,  Mrs.,  468 
St.  John,  Oliver,  37,  724,  730 
Stockport,  627 
Stoke  Climsland,  83,   157,  165,  224, 

226 
Stonehouse,  145,  147,  268 
Stormonl,  Lord,  293 
Stourton,  Lord,  661 
Stowe,  181,  182,  184,  653 
Stowford,  225 
Strafford,  Earl  of,  330 
Strand,  London,  275,  277,  328 

—  houses  attacked  in,  270,  271,  272, 

275 
Stransham,  Major,  145 
Stratford-on-Avon,  292 
Stratton,   116,    156,    181,    1S2,    184, 

224 
Straw,  Jack,  432 
Street,  John,  366,  367 
Strickland,  16 

Strype,  on  Cornish  riots,  592 
Stubbe,  46 
Sturgeon,  Major,  294 
Styria,  574 
Subaltern,  504 


INDEX 


769 


Succinct    History    of    Ancient    and 

Modern  Persecutions,  426 
Sudbury,  Simon,  557 
Suett,  Richard,  380 
Suffolk,  Earl  of,  433,  435 
Suffolk  House  Humane  Society,  64 
Suffolk  Street,  295 
Suliotes,  508 
Sultan  of  Morocco,  708 

—  barbarities  of,  710-713 
Sumph,  Captain,  454 
Superb,  145,  443 

Superstition    concerning    origin    of 

fossils,  4 
Supply,  560,  564,  567 
Surat,  479,  482,  483,  486 
Surius,  557 

Surrey  Institute,  194,  203 
Surrey  Street,  301 
Surtees  Society,  556  note 
Survey  of  Cornwall,  243,  554,   652 
Sussex,  Duke  of,  680 
Sutton  of  Salisbury,  112 
Sutton  Pool,  666 
Swallozu,  560 
Swann,  Mr.,  519,  520 

—  bribes  in  Penryn,  521 
Swannacott  Wood,  108 

Swift,  Dean,   on  Mohun's  duel,  316 
Sydney,  564,  568 
Sydney  Cove,  561 
Symons,  Elizabeth,  194 
Symonds,  Colonel,  718 
Syria,  597 

Tagus,  145 

Tales  a7id Jests  of  Hugh  Peters,  48,  50 

Tales  and  Sayings  of  IV.   R.  Hicks, 

578 
Talma,  379 
Tamar  Green,  55 
Tamar,  river,  89,  225,  243,  354,  399, 

663 
Tanks,  679 

Tanner  family,  the,  156 
Tarifa,  503 
Tattersall's,  380 
Tavistock,  572,  665 
Tavy,  river,  663 
Tea  introduction  of,  481 
Teed,  Mr.,  523 
Teignmouth,  200 
Telford,  678 

Temple  Bar,  273,  277,  286 
Temple,  Major,  446 


Teneriffe,  560 
Tenison,  Bishop,  213 
Terence,  282 
Terra  del  Fuego,  233 

—  ill-fated  expedition  to,  232-237 
Tetuan,  714 

Thackeray,  W.  M.,  143,  189,  454 
Theatre  Royal,  300 
Thessaly,  508 

Thomas,    Admiral    R.     D.,    enters 
navy,  258 

—  in   battle   of  Cape   St.   Vincent, 

259,  260 

—  on  the  burning  Boyne,  258 

—  promotions  of,  258,  261,  267 

—  shipwrecked,  261-267 
Thomas,  Mary,  258 
Thomas,  Mrs.,  644 
Thomas,  Charles,  258,  268 
Thomas,  Charles  M.,  253,  255,  256 
Thomas,  John,  343 
Thompson,  Mr.,  327 
Thomson,  Mr.,  492 
Thornburn,  Ensign,  484 
Thome,  704 

Thorne,  Mrs.,  469 

Thorne,  Roger,  704 

Th7'ce  Towns'  History,  663 

"  Three  Tuns,"  371 

Throwley,  607 

Thunderer,  376 

Thuraken,  728 

Thurloe,  John,  47,  53 

Tickell,  Surgeon,  118 

Tillie  family,  the,  arms  of,  402,  405 

Tillie,  Altmira,  404 

Tillie,  John,  401,  406 

Tillie,  Mary  Jemima,  401,  406 

Tillie,  Sir  James,  406,  407 

—  burial  of,  399,  400,  405,  406 

—  will  of,  404 

Tillie,  Stephen,  365,  366 

Tillotson,    Bishop,    209,    211,    212, 

214,  215,  543 
Tilly  family,  the,  407 
Tilt-yard,  276 
Times,  The,  427,  428,  613 
Tinevelly,  164 
Tin-mines,  342,  344.  S^o.  SSi.  583 

—  peculation  at,  704 
Tin-mining  adventurers,  719 
Tin-shafts  near  Redruth,  702 
Tin-smelting,  fuel  for,  718 
Tin-stamping  mills,  579 
Tintagel,  109,  185 


3  D 


770 


CORNISH    CHARACTERS 


Titus,  458 
Tiverton,  157,  280 
Tolcarne,  620 
Toleration  Bill,  211,  214 
Tolver-in-Gulval,  342 
Tolverne,  136 

Tom,    John     Nichols,     accused    of 
arson,  594 

—  assumes    alias    of    Sir    William 

Courtenay,  597 

—  authorities  for  life  of,  613 

—  characteristic  vanity  of,   593 

—  contests  Canterbury,  599 

—  expected  resurrection  of,  612 

—  from  attorney  to  maltster,  594 

—  his  battle-song,  604 

—  lunatic  at  large,  603 

—  pretended  Earl  of  Devon,  600- 

602 

—  pretended  Messiah,  606-611 

—  rival  herald  of  the  Messiah,  596- 

599 

—  shoots  Meares,  60S,  613 

—  shot  as  a  rioter,  610 

—  tried  for  perjury,  602 
Tom,  Mrs.  Frances,  541 
Tom,  William,  541,  593 
Tomson,  Mr.,  242 
Tonkin,  680 

Toole,  450 

Topograph  ical  and  Historical  Sketches 

of  the  Boroughs  of  East  and  I  Vest 

Looe,  92 
Torbay,  649 
Torrington,  179 
Torquay,  5,  376 
Tortola,  625 

Tossing,  punishment  of,  710 
"Total  Eclipse,"  378 
Totnes,  16,  200 
Tottell,  Richard,  554 
Totteridge,  301 
Touchstone,  259 
Toulon,  130,  267 
Toulouse,  640 
Touraine,  580 
Towednack,  177 
Tower  Hill,  276 
Tower  of  London,   16,   30,    73,    96, 

555,  592 
Traditions  and  Recollections,  283 
Trafalgar,  battle  of,  267,  269,  443 
Transactions  of  the   Devonshire  As- 
sociation, 1894,  9,  II 
Travels  in  the  East,  596 


Treassow,  683 

Treatise  on  Railways,  195 

Treatise  of  the  Principall   Grounds 

and  Maxim es  of  the  Laws  of  this 

Kingdom,  330 
Treator,  192 
Tredea,  675 
Tredenham,  517 
Tredenham,  Colonel,  300 
Tree  Inn,  181,  184  note 
Tref-an-grouse,  60 
Treffry,  26 
Treffry,  Deborah,  26 
Treffry,  John,  26 
Treffry,  Martha,  26 
Trefusis  family,  the,  500 
Tregarrick,  652 
Tregasa,  705,  706 
Tregeare,  83,  364 
Tregeare,  Richard,  364 
Tiegenna,  173 

Tregeagle,  John,  539,  541,  543 
Tregeagle's  ghost,  628 
Tregellas,  Mr.  W.  H.,  115,  548,  581 
Tregian  family,  the,  652, 
Tregian,  Francis,  conceals  a  priest, 
.  653,  658 

—  imprisonment  of,  660 

—  omen  of  his  fate,  659 

—  trial  of,  654,  657,  659 

—  verse  of,  660 

Tregian,  Francis,  junior,  661 

Tregian,  Mrs.,  659 

Tregolorsick,  280 

Tregonnan,  654 

Tregonning  Hill,  364 

Tregony,   518,  522,  524,   527,   529, 

659 

—  elections  at,  525,  526 
Tregose,  Clement,  177 
Tregose,  John,  177 
Tregoss  family,  the,  i77 

—  curse  on,  176 
Tregoss,  John,  176 

Tregoss,  Thomas,  conversion  of,  179 

—  early  life  of,  177 

—  imprisoned  for  preaching,  179 

—  prays  for  pilchards,  178 
Tregoss,  Walter,  176 
Tregothnan,  706 

Trelawny  of  Trelawne,  72,  247 
Trelawny,  Bishop,  219 
Trelawny,  Charles,  517 
Trelawny,   Charles  Brereton,   brutal 
treatment  of  daughter,  441-3 


% 


INDEX 


771 


Trelawny,  character  of,  441 
Trelawny,   Edward  John,   books  of, 
452 

—  character  of,  445,  449,  452 

—  in  Greece,  446 

—  loose  life  of,  452 

—  misses  Trafalgar,  443-5 

—  portrait  of,  453,  454 

—  treatment  of  wife  and  child,  449 
Trelawny,  General,  517 
Trelawny,  Harry,  441 
Trelawny,  Harry  Brereton,  441 
Trelawny,  Henry,  shipwrecked,  643 

649-50 
Trelawny,  Lieutenant  Harry,  448 
Trelawny,  Sir  Jonathan,  649 
Trelawny,  Tersitza  Philippa,  450 
Trelecoeth,  Joan,  615 
Trelecoeth,  John,  615 
Trelecoeth,  Marina,  615 
Trelisseck,  340  note 
Trelowaren,  516 
Tremaine,  Richard,  654 
Trematon  Castle,  185,  429 
Tremayne,  Captain  W. ,  345 
Tremayne,  Mr.  Edmund,  139 
Tremere,  126 
Tremhayle,  Loveday,  516 
Tremhayle,  George,  516 
Tremoderet,  432 
Trenaman,  William,  405 
Trengrouse,  Anne,  71 
Trengrouse,  Emma,  71 
Trengrouse,  Henry,  205 

—  birth  and  education  of,  59)  60 

—  death  of,  67 

—  his  lifeboat,  66 

—  inventor  of  cork  jacket,  66 

—  inventor  of  rockets,  64 

—  invited  to  Russia,  65 

—  marriage  of,  7 1 

—  monetary   sacrifices,   63,  65,  67, 

70 
— ■  witness  of  wreck,  60,  63 
Trengrouse,  Jane,  71 
Trengrouse,  Mary,  71 
Trengrouse,  Mr.  H.,  68,  71 
Trengrouse,  Nicholas,  59 
Trengrouse,  Nicholas  Trevenen,  71 
Trenoweth,  654 
Treraren,  121 
Trereen-Dinas,  18 
Trerice,  157,  704,  705 
Tresco,  643 
Tresilian,  432 


Tresilian,  Sir  Robert,  advises  Richard 

11.  434 

—  "appealed"  of  treason,  435 

—  in  disguise,  436-40 

—  Lord  Chief  Justice,  432 
Tresize,  Nicholas,  620 
Treslothian,  695,  699 
Trevanion,  Mr.,  389,  391,  394,  520 

—  of  Tregony,  525 
Trevanion,  Sir  Hugh,  389,  395 
Trevargus,  192 

Trevelyan,  Sir  W.  C. ,  8 
Trevenen,  Captain  James,  514 
Trevenen,  Miss,  502 
Trevenor,  Isabel,  554 
Trevenor,  Richard,  554 
Treventy,  126,  129 
Trevethan  Hall,  633 
Trevetho,  172,  516 
Trevince,  430 
Trevithick,  Francis,  527 
Trevithick,  Richard,  192,  197,  527 

—  and  Gilbert  (Giddy),  677 

—  invents  locomotive,  193 
Trevor,  Hon.  Mr.,  375 
Trevorder,  543 
Trewarthenick,  424 
Trewarveneth,  480,  706 
Trewinnard,  516,  517 
Trewithen,  443,  516,  517,  520,  527, 

529 
Treworgy,  96,  403,  678 
Trial  of  Charles  I  and  of  some  of  the 

Regicides,  53 
Tricala,  508 

Triennial  Visitation  Charge,  213 
Triers,  the,  33,  43,  44 
Trigonofnefry,  Hind's,  6 
Trinidad,  458 
Trinity  House,  66,  633 
Trin.  Coll.  Cam.,  27,  556 
Trip  to  Calais,  A,  289,  295 
Triplicane,  158 
Tripoli,  637 
Troon-Moor,  695,  697 
Troubles  of  our  Catholic  Forefathers, 

556  note,  662 
Troy  Town,  271 
True  State  of  the  Case   of  Bosavern 

Penlez,  275 
Truro,  54,   133,   16S,   182,   189,  242, 

280,    283,   313,    344,    430,   583, 

594,    613,    675,   717,   718,   719, 

726 
Truro,  Baron,  718,  721,  722,  726 


772 


CORNISH   CHARACTERS 


Truro   Grammar   School,   192,   282, 

343 
Truro  Green,  343 
Truvel,  343 
Tryarne,  John,  615 
Tryarne,  William,  615 
Trylly,  340 
Tubby,  367 
Tucker,  Admiral,  185 
Tucker,  Mr.,  429 
Tuckey,  Lieutenant,  408,  410 

—  explores  the  Congo,  413-422 
Tudor,  Mr.,  409,  417 
Tunbridge  Wells,  338 

Tunis,  507,  715 

Tupper,  692 

Turner  and  Plumer,  Messrs.,  594 

Turner,  William,  103 

Turnpike  Act,  200 

Tutwork  and  tribute,  579 

Twysden,  Sir  Roger,  140 

Tyacke,  Mr.  Richard,  584 

Tyburn,  592,  672,  674 

Tyler,  Mr.,  613 

Tyler's  Rebellion,  Wat,  432 

Tyrell,  Captain,  486 

Tyrrell,  Father,  657 

Uglow  family,  the,  156 

Ulack,  Adrian,  128 

Ulysses,  447 

Ulysses,  253,  254 

Undaunted,  267 

Under  Horse  Road,  80 

Underwood,  Lieutenant,-  237 

United  Kingdom  Alliance,  627 

University  Library,  Cambridge,  556 

Unwin,  Mr.  Fisher,  708 

Uranus,  85,  88 

Ure,  Dr.,  202 

Ushant,  642 

Usk,  453 

Vancouver,  Captain,  320 

Vandalone,  159 

Vane,  Margaret,  403,  407 

Vane,  Sir  Harry,  37,  401,  403,  407, 

724 
Van  Tromp,  46 
Vauban,  482 
Veale,  Mrs.,  79 
Vellore,  164 
Venice,  508,  544 

—  Doge  of,  545 
Venloo,  372 


Vercoe,  Mr.,  120 

Verdun,  408 

Vere,  Robert  de,  433,  435 

Vernon,  281 

Versailles,  310,  546 

Veryan,  280 

Vibert,  Isabella,  342 

Victoria,  Queen,  187,  621,  667 

Victo>y,  269 

View  Hall,  723 

Vigo,  639 

Vigurs,  Mr.,  684 

Villiers,  Harriet,  318 

Villiers,  Lady  Mary,  544 

Vincent,  Walter,  140 

Vineyard  Island,  685 

Vinni,  King  of,  419 

Viper,  Dr.,  295 

Vision,  Richard  Pengelly's,  3 

Vivian,  Colonel,  81,  171,  441 

Vonke,  416 

Vosper,  Mr.,  665  note 

Vouchin-Semnis,  418 

Vowell,  John,  155 

Vyvyan,  Sir  Richard,  516 

W.  A.  A.,  229 
Waddon,  John,  403 
Wade,  Field-Marshal,  167 
Wadebridge,  117,  118,  120,  123,  125, 

194,  659 
Wahabee  pirates,  462 
Wakeman,  James,  80 
Waldenses,  persecution  of,  46 
Wales,  Prince  of,  634,  669 
Walker,  Rev.  Samuel,  345 
Walkinghame,  3 
Waller,  Sir  William,  36,  133 
Wallingford,  127 
Walpole,  Horace,  228,  279 
Walpole,  Sir  Robert,  344 
—  declares  war  with  Spain,  16 
Walsingham,  Commodore,  376 
Waltham  Cross,  435 
Wanstead,  97 
Wansum,  114 
Ward,  Mr.,  484,  625 
Warren,  Joseph,  wrestler,  495,  499 
Warren,  Sir  John  Borlase,  456 
Warren,  William,  531 
Warren,  Widow,  469 
Warring,  Anne,  665 
Warwick,  Earl  of,  36,  307,  435,  722, 

725 
Warwick,  Mr.  Philip,  333 


INDEX 


773 


Washerwoman,  the,  292 

Washington,  584,  686 

Wastsell  Downs,  703 

Waterloo,  264 

Waterloo  Bridge,  521 

Watson,  Captain,  321 

Watson,  Hon.  R.,  599 

Watt's  steam  engine,  677 

Waugh,  699 

Wayte,  Anne,  403 

Wearne,  Roger,  172 

Webb,  Mrs.,  467 

Webbe,  W.,  557 

Week  at  the  Land's  End,  143 

Week,  derivation  of,  109 

Weekes,  Mr.,  188 

Weekly  Entertainer,  347,  349 

Weekly  Miscellany,  2,  369 

Week  S.  Mary,  108,  109,  114,  115 

Wellington,  6,  7 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  504,  505,  518, 

529 
Wells,  32 

Welsh,  Saunders,  276,  277 
Wendron,  579,  582 
Wentworth,  Sir  Thomas,  330 
Wesley,  John,  187,  620 
—  at  S.  Ives,  179 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,  478 
West,  John,  140 
West  Harptree-Tilly,  407 
West  Indian,  The,  467 
West  Indies,  25,  35,  62,  170,  172 
West  Looe,  92,  518 
West  Newton  Ferrers,  388,  396,  398 
West  of  England  Salvage  Company, 

62 
West  Penwith,  143 
Western  Antiquary,  1887,  20,  25 
Western  Green,  130 
Westminster  Abbey,   17,   296,    547, 

552,  648,  730 
Westminster  School,  207 
Weston,  287 
Weston,  Lord,  332 
Westwood,  108 
Wheal  Ann,  582 
Wheal  Fortune,  343 
Wheal  Heriot's  Foot,  581 
Wheal  Trevenen,  582,  584 
Wheal  Vorah,  584 
Whitaker,  41 
Whitaker,  Rev.  John,  358 
Whitchurch,  665 
Whitchurch  Down,  572 


Whitcombe,  Mr.,  448 
White,  Charles,  281 
White,  Matthew,  337 
White,  Mrs.  Buckingham,  465 
Whiteford,  156,  157,  165,  167 
Whitehall,  50,  99,  209,  403,  485 
Whitelocke,  B.,  42,  45,  52 
Whiteley  in  curios,  a,  632 
Whitfeld,  Mr.,  57  note 

—  on  Saltash  women,  663 
Whitley,  Major,  105 
Whitley,  Mr.  H.  M.,  140 
Whitsand  Bay,  148,  405,  406 
Whittlesea  Mere,  148 
Whitworth,  Charles,  Earl  of,  251 
Whitworth,  Mr.,  311 
Whytford's  yI/a;-/i/;-^/^p-2>    cry 
Wickford,  28 

Widdrington,  Lord,  15 

Wideslade,  "Sir  Tristram,"  652 

Wigan,  13 

Wightwick,  George,  570 

Wilkinson,  Edward,  391-393 

William  I,  298 

William  III,   12,   16,  105,  106,  183, 

210,   212,   305,   364,    S42,   638, 

701 
William  IV,  64  note 
William  Eaton,  686 
Williams,  Dr.,  236 
Williams,  Gratiana,  268 
Williams,  John,  516 

—  dreams  of  Perceval's  murder,  427- 

431 
Williams,  Lieut. -General  R.,  268 
Williams,  Mary,  59 
Williams,  Michael,  427,  430 
Williams,  Rev.  Samuel,  76 
Williams,  William,  403 
Willingdon,  679 
Willis,  Andrew,  367 
Wilmot  family,  the,  619 
Wills,  Anthony,  of  Gorran,  12 
Wills,  Anthony,  of  Saltash,  12 
Wills,  Digory,  12 
Wills,   K.B.,  Sir  Charles,   death  of, 

—  family  and  arms  of,  12 

—  his  defence  of  Preston,  13,  14,  15 

—  M.P.  for  Totnes,  16 

—  promotions  of,  13,  15,  16,  17 

—  Sir   Charles,   serves   in   Holland 

and  Spain,  12 
Wills,  Mr.,  603,  606,  612 
Wills,  Richard,  of  Acombe,  12 


774 


CORNISH   CHARACTERS 


Wills,  Thomas,  341 

Willyams,  John,  341 

Wilton,  589 

Wilson,  John,  272,  274 

Wilson,  Mr.,  275 

Winchester,  Bishop  of,  643,  649 

Winchester  Castle,  37 

Windmill  Hill,  Brixham,  7 

Windsor  Castle,  39,  661 

Windsor  Castle,  623 

Windsor,  Duke  of,  386 

Wingfield,  William,  520 

Winnington,  207 

Winthrop,  Elizabeth,  28 

Winton,  Lord,  15 

Woffington,  Peg,  286 

Wolvedon,  652,  653 

Wolverston,  Mary,  133 

Wolverston,  Philip,  133 

Wood,  E.  J.,  126,  185,  722 

Wood,  Nicholas,  195 

Wood,  Peter,  272,  273,  274,  276,  277 

Woodstock,  432 

Woolley,  400,  406 

Woolley,  James  Tilley,  406 

Wool  merchants,  108,  109,  no 

—  and  Henry  VI,  1 12 
Woolsten,  366 
Worcester,  112,  387 
Worcester  College,  Oxford,  284 
Worcester,  Marquis  of,  39 

—  siege  of,  38 
Worral  Hill,  173 
Worth,  Archbishop,  434 
Worth,  Mr.  R.  N.,  140 
Wortham,  453 

Worthies  of  Armorie,  The,  554 


Wrecks,  at  Land's  End,  503 

—  of  the  Anson,  60,  71 

—  of  the  Association  with  Sir  Cloud- 

esley  Shovel,  640,  647 

—  of  the  Berlin,  70 

—  of  Charles  Incledon,  380 

—  of  the  Eagle,  Romney,  Firebrand, 

and  Phcenix,  640,  643,  647 

—  of  the  Guardian,  319 

—  of  the  A'ent,  497 

—  of  the  Kyber,  67 

—  of  the  Lady  Hobart,  261-263,  267 

—  of  the  Thunderer,  376 
Wren,  Mr.  Henry,  123 
Wrestling,  Cornish,  54,  495 

—  Devonshire,  54 
Wrey,  Edmund,  397 
Wrey,  Jane,  388,  396,  398 
Wrey,  John,  388,  396,  398 
Wyatt,  Mr.,  583 
Wyndham,  William,  319 
Wyvelscombe,  12 

Yonge,  Dr.  William,  his  account  of 

Peters,  27,  28 
York,  331 

York,  Archbishop  of,  434,  435 
York,  Duke  of,  290,  482,  485 
York,  James,  Duke  of,  96,  102,  550 
Young,  T.  C,  578 
"  Young  Men's  Club,"  555 

Zaccaria,  Catherine,  729 
Zagros,  462 
Zaire,  409 
Zante,  450,  451 
Zanzibar,  462 


THE  WORKS    OF 
ANATOLE  FRANCE 

T  has  long  been  a  reproach  to 
England  that  only  one  volume 
by  ANATOLE  FRANCE 
has  been  adequately  rendered 
into  English  ;  yet  outside  this 
country  he^  shares  with 
TOLSTOI  the  distinction 
of  being  the  greatest  and  most  daring 
student  of  humanity  now  living. 

%  There  have  been  many  difficulties  to 
encounter  in  completing  arrangements  for  a 
uniform  edition,  though  perhaps  the  chief  bar- 
rier to  publication  here  has  been  the  fact  that 
his  writings  are  not  for  babes — but  for  men 
and  the  mothers  of  men.  Indeed,  some  of  his 
Eastern  romances  are  written  with  biblical  can- 
dour. "  I  have  sought  truth  strenuously,"  he 
tells  us,  "  I  have  met  her  boldly.  I  have  never 
turned    from   her    even   when    she    wore   an 


THE  WORKS  OF  ANATOLE  FRANCE 

unexpected  aspect."  Still,  it  is  believed  that  the  day  has 
come  for  giving  English  versions  of  all  his  imaginative 
works,  as  w^ell  as  of  his  monumental  study  JOAN  OF 
ARC,  which  is  undoubtedly  the  most  discussed  book  in  the 
world  of  letters  to-day. 

U  MR.  JOHN  LANE  has  pleasure  in  announcing  that 
he  will  commence  publication  of  the  works  of  M. 
ANATOLE  FRANCE  in  English,  under  the  general 
editorship  of  MR.  FREDERIC^ CHAPMAN,  with  the 
following  volumes  : 

THE  RED  LILY 

MOTHER  OF  PEARL 

THE  GARDEN  OF  EPICURUS 

THE  CRIME  OF  SYLVESTRE  BONNARD 

JOCASTA  AND  THE  FAMISHED  CAT 

BALTHASAR 

THE  WELL  OF  ST.  CLARE 

THE  ELM  TREE  ON  THE  MALL 

THE  WICKER-WORK  WOMAN 

AT  THE  SIGN  OF  THE  QUEEN  PEDAUQUE 

THE  OPINIONS  OF  JEROME  COIGNARD 

MY  FRIEND'S  BOOK 

THE  ASPIRATIONS  OF  JEAN  SERVIEN 

THAIS 

JOAN  OF  ARC  (2  vols.) 
H  All  the  books  will  be  published  at  6/-  each  with  the 
exception  of  JOAN   OF   ARC,   which  will   be  25/-   net 
the  two  volumes,  with  eight  Illustrations. 

IT  The  format  of  the  volumes  leaves  little  to  be  desired. 
The  size  is  Demy  8vo  (9  x  5|  in.),  that  of  this  Prospectus,  and 
they  will  be  printed  from  Caslon  type  upon  a  paper  light  in 
weight  and  strong  in  texture,  with  a  cover  design  in  crimson 
and  gold,  a  gilt  top,  end-papers  from  designs  by  Aubrey 
Beardsley  and  initials  by  Henry  Ospovat.  In  short,  these  are 
volumes  for  the  bibliophile  as  well  as  the  lover  of  fiction, 
and  form  perhaps  the  cheapest  library  edition  of  copyright 
novels  ever  published,  for  the  price  is  only  that  of  an 
ordinary  novel. 

^  The  translation  of  these  books  has  been  entrusted  to  such 
competent  French  scholars  as  MR.  Alfred  allinson,  hon. 

MAURICE    BARING,    MR.   FREDERIC   CHAPMAN,  MR.  ROBERT  B. 


THE  WORKS  OF  ANATOLE  FRANCE 

DOUGLAS,  MR.  A.  W.  EVANS,  MRS,  FARLEY,  MR.  LAFCADIO 
HEARN,  MRS.  JOHN  LANE,  MRS.  NEWMARCH,  MR.  C.  E.  ROCHE, 
MISS  WINIFRED  STEPHENS,  and  MISS  M.   P.  WILLCOCKS. 

IF  As  Anatole  Thibault,  dit  Anatole  France,  is  to  most 
English  readers  merely  a  name,  it  will  be  well  to  state  that 
he  was  born  in  1844  in  the  picturesque  and  inspiring 
surroundings  of  an  old  bookshop  on  the  Quai  Voltaire, 
Paris,  kept  by  his  father.  Monsieur  Thibault,  an  authority  on 
eighteenth-century  history,  from  whom  the  boy  caught  the 
passion  for  the  principles  of  the  Revolution,  while  from  his 
mother  he  was  learning  to  love  the  ascetic  ideals  chronicled 
in  the  Lives  of  the  Saints.  He  was  schooled  with  the  lovers 
of  old  books,  missals  and  manuscripts  ;  he  matriculated  on 
theQuaiswith  the  old  Jewish  dealers  of  curios  and  o/^y^/^^cr/ ; 
he  graduated  in  the  great  university  of  life  and  experience. 
It  will  be  recognised  that  all  his  work  is  permeated  by  his 
youthful  impressions ;  he  is,  in  fact,  a  virtuoso  at  large. 

fl  He  has  written  about  thirty  volumes  of  fiction.  His 
first  novel  was  JOCASTA  tff  THE  FAMISHED  CAT 
(1879).  THE  CRIME  OF  SYLVESTRE  BONNARD 
appeared  in  1 881,  and  had  the  distinction  of  being  crowned 
by  the  French  Academy,  into  which  he  was  received  in  1896. 

V  His  work  is  illuminated  with  style,  scholarship,  and 
psychology  ;  but  its  outstanding  features  are  the  lambent  wit, 
the  gay  mockery,  the  genial  irony  with  which  he  touches  every 
subject  he  treats.  But  the  wit  is  never  malicious,  the  mockery 
never  derisive,  the  irony  never  barbed.  To  quote  from  his  own 
GARDEN  OF  EPICURUS  :  "Irony  and  Pity  are  both  of 
good  counsel ;  the  first  with  her  smiles  makes  life  agreeable, 
the  other  sanctifies  it  to  us  with  her  tears.  The  Irony  I 
invoke  is  no  cruel  deity.  She  mocks  neither  love  nor 
beauty.  She  is  gentle  and  kindly  disposed.  Her  mirth 
disarms  anger  and  it  is  she  teaches  us  to  laugh  at  rogues  and 
fools  whom  but  for  her  we  might  be  so  weak  as  to  hate." 

fl  Often  he  shows  how  divine  humanity  triumphs  over 
mere  aceticism,  and  with  entire  reverence ;  indeed,  he 
might  be  described  as  an  ascetic  overflowing  with  humanity, 
just  as  he  has  been  termed  a  "pagan,  but  a  pagan 
constantly  haunted  by  the  pre-occupation  of  Christ.'* 
He  is  in  turn — like  his  own  Choulette  in  THE  RED 
LILY — saintly  and  Rabelaisian,  yet  without  incongruity. 


THE  WORKS  OF  ANATOLE  FRANCE 

At  all  times  he  is  the  unrelenting  foe  of  superstition  and 
hypocrisy.  Of  himself  he  once  modestly  said :  "  You  will  find 
in  my  writings  perfect  sincerity  (lying  demands  a  talent  I  do 
not  possess),  much  indulgence,  and  some  natural  affection  for 
the  beautiful  and  good." 

11  The  mere  extent  of  an  author's  popularity  is  perhaps  a 
poor  argument,  yet  it  is  significant  that  two  books  by  this 
author  are  in  their  HUNDRED  AND  TENTH  THOU- 
SAND,and  numbers  of  them  well  into  their  SEVENTIETH 
THOUSAND,  whilst  the  one  which  a  Frenchman  recently 
described  as  "  Monsieur  France's  most  arid  book  "  is  in  its 
FIFTY-EIGHTH  THOUSAND. 

^  Inasmuch  as  M.  FRANCE'S  ONLY  contribution  to 
an  English  periodical  appeared  in  THE  YELLOW  BOOK, 
vol.  v.,  April  1895,  together  with  the  first  important  English 
appreciation  of  his  work  from  the  pan  of  the  Hon.  Maurice 
Baring,  it  is  peculiarly  appropriate  that  the  English  edition 
of  his  works  should  be  issued  from  the  Bodley  Head. 


ORDER  FORM 

190 


To  Mr - - 

Bookseller 

Tlease  send  me  the  following  works  of  tAnatole  France 
to  be  issued  in  June  and  July  : 
THE  RED   LILY 
MOTHER   OF   PEARL 
THE   GARDEN   OF   EPICURUS 
THE  CRIME  OF  SYLVESTRE  BONNARD 

for  which  I  enclose „ 

O^me - - - 

^Address 

JOHN  LANF.,PiipMi»Hm,THFBoni>Y  HKAn,VifioRT.LnNnnFjW, 


DEVONSHIRE  CHARACTERS 
AND     STRANGE      EVENTS 

By  S.  BARING-GOULD,  M.A.,  Author  of  "York- 
shire Oddities,"  etc.  Demy  8vo,  21s.  net.  With 
58  Reproductions  from  Unique  Portraits,  etc.  (Uniform 
with  this  Volume.') 


A  FEW  PRESS  OPINIONS. 

Daily  ^eivs, — "A  fascinating  series  .  .  .  the  whole  book  is  rich  in 
human  interest.  It  is  by  these  personal  touches,  drawn  from  tradition 
and  memoirs,  that  the  dead  men,  surrounded  by  the  curious  panoply  of 
their  time,  are  made  to  live  again  in  Mr.  Baring-Gould's  pages." 

Westminster  Gaaette. — "Fascinating  reading  ...  a  book  which  is  'cider 
and  cream '  to  West  Country  folk,  and  is  extremely  interesting  to  all  who 
are  attracted  by  human  documents  which  are  out  of  the  common." 

(jlohe, — "For a  Christmas  present  to  a  West  Countryman  Mr.  Baring- 
Gould's  book  is  unsurpassed.  .  .  .  The  volume  is  full  of  good  stories." 

M.  P.  WiLLCocKS  in  Daily  Chronicle. — "The  writing  of  such  a  book  as 
'Devonshire  Characters'  is  a  kind  of  intelligent  ancestor  worship.  .  .  . 
The  illustraticms  are  curiously  fascinating,  and  there  are  fifty-eight  of  them 
in  the  book,  which  has  also  an  excellent  index." 

Scotsman. — "  Full  of  out  of  the  way  learning,  and  always  brightly  written 
...  an  uncommonly  interesting  and  instructive  book.  ..." 

Times. — "  ...  A  more  entertaining  crew  than  these  Devonshire  Characters 
it  would  be  impossible  to  find  ;  and  the  book  that  perpetuates  their  memory 
is  excellent  reading  from  cover  to  cover.  ..." 

Tall  Mall  Qa'sette. — *' ,  .  .  No  writer  of  modern  times  has  so  fully 
breathed  the  spirit  of  the  West  as  Mr.  Baring-Gould.  ..." 

Birmingham  Post. — "Mr.  S.  Baring-Gould  shows  himself  to  be  very 
much  alive  in  'Devonshire  Characters,'  and  we  cannot  recall  a  case  in 
which  his  astonishing  literary  energies  have  been  put  to  more  interesting 
use  ...  a  handsome  as  well  as  interesting  addition  to  every  library  ..." 

JVestern  'Daily  Mercury. — ".,  ,  We  can  most  strenuously  advise  all 
Devonshire  men  and  women  who  have  either  a  love  for  their  county,  or  a 
love  for  a  good  book,  or  both,  to  buy  '  Devonshire  Characters.'  They 
will  never  regret  it,'' 

Guardian. — ".  .  .  The  eccentric  lives  and  the  evil  courses  of  the  odd 
and  the  profligate  have  ever  afforded  more  stirring  reading  than  the 
improving  careers  of  the  good,  and  where  we  might  idly  turn  the  pages  of 
Prince,  we  must  needs  follow  with  keen  interest  the  roads  traversed  by 
Mr.  Baring-Gould's  villains  and  eccentrics,  often  to  the  gallows,  or  the 
county  gaol,  or  into  the  weird  old  legends  of  the  West.  .  ,    ," 

Daily  Telegraph. — ".  .  .  His  latest  work  will  probably  enjoy  a  longer 
popularity  than  anything  else  that  he  has  done.  It  is  a  work  that  for  all 
West  Country  folk  will  have  a  lasting  fascination,  dealing  as  it  does  with  a 
large  number  of  worthies  and  unworthies,  celebrated  people  and  notorious 
people,  who  have  been  associated  with  the  county." 


WEST-COUNTRY    BOOKS 


THE  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  ROBERT  STEPHEN 

HAWKER,  sometime  Vicar  of  Morwenstow  in  Cornwall.  Edited  by 
C.  E.  BvLEs.  With  numerous  Illustrations  by  J.  Ley  Pethybridge 
and  others.     Demy  8vo.     7s,  6d.  net.  [Popular  Edition. 

FOOTPRINTS  OF  FORMER  MEN  IN  FAR  CORN- 

WALL,  By  Robert  Stephen  Hawker,  of  Morwenstow.  Edited, 
with  an  introduction,  by  C.  E.  Byles.  With  Portraits  and  many 
Illustrations  by  J.  Ley  Pethybridge.     Crown  8vo.     5s.  net. 

CORNISH  BALLADS  AND  OTHER  POEMS.      Being 

the  Complete  Poetical  Works  of  R.  S.  Hawker.  With  an  Introduc- 
tion and  Notes  by  C.  E.  Byles,  and  numerous  Illustrations.  Crown 
8vo.     5s.  net. 

THE  KING'S  GENERAL  IN  THE  WEST.     Being  the 

Life  of  Sir  Richard  Grenville,  Baronet  (i 600-1 659).  By  Roger 
Granville,  m.a.,  Sub-Dean  of  Exeter  Cathedral,  With  Illustrations. 
Demy  8vo  (9  x  5I  inches),     los.  6d.  net. 

THE  WESSEX  OF  THOMAS  HARDY.      By  Bertram 

WiNDLE,  With  nearly  100  Illustrations  by  Edmund  H.  New, 
Crown   8vo,      5s.    net, 

THE  CHRONICLE  OF  A  CORNISH  GARDEN.     By 

Harry  Roberts.  With  7  full-page  Illustrations  of  an  Ideal  Garden 
and  a  Cover-design  by  F.  L,  Griggs.     Crown  8vo.      5s.  net. 

CORNISH  SAINTS  AND  SINNERS.    By  J.  H.  Harris. 

With  numerous  Drawings  and  a  Cover-design  by  L.  Raven  Hill. 
Crown  8vo.      6s, 

SIR    BEVILL  :     a    Romance.     By   Arthur    Christopher 

Thynne.  With  7  Illustrations  by  J.  Ley  Pethybridge,  and  a 
Portrait  of  Sir  Bevill  Granville.      Crown  8vo.      63. 

A  CHILD  OF  THE  SHORE  :  a  Romance  of  Cornwall. 

By  S.    M.   Fox.     Crown   8vo.     6s. 


NOVELS    BY    M.    P.    WILLCOCKS 

A  MAN  OF  GENIUS.     With  Illustrations  by  Winifred 
Story.     Crown  8vo.     6s. 

THE  WINGLESS  VICTORY.     Crown  8vo.     6s. 
WIDDICOMBE.     Crown  8vo.     6s. 


JOHN  LANE :  The  Bodley  Head,  London  and  New  York. 


:NipTICE 

T'hose  who  possess  old  letters^  documents^  corre- 
sponde?ice,  v5MSS.,  scraps  of  autobiography^  and  also 
miniatures  and  portraits^  relating  to  persons  and 
matters  historical^  literary^  political  and  social^  should 
communicate  with  ^Mr.  John  Lane,  The  Bod  ley 
Head,  Vigo  Street,  London,  W.,  who  will  at  all 
times  be  pleased  to  give  his  advice  and  assistance, 
either  as  to  their  preservation  or  publication. 


1 


LIVING  MASTERS  OF  MUSIC 

An  Illustrated  Series  of  Monographs  dealing  with 
Contemporary  Musical  Life,  and  including  Repre- 
sentatives of  all  Branches  of  the  Art.  Edited  by 
Rosa  Newmarch.  Crown  8vo.  Cloth.  Zi.  dd,  net 
each  volume. 

HENRY  J.  WOOD.     By  Rosa  Newmarch. 

SIR   EDWARD   ELGAR.      By  R.   J.    Buckley. 

JOSEPH   JOACHIM.     By  J.   A.   Fuller  Maitland. 

EDWARD    MACDOWELL.       By  L.  Oilman. 

EDVARD  GRIEG.     By  H.  T.  Finck. 

THEODOR  LESCHETIZKY.     By  A.  Hullah. 

GIACOMO  PUCCINI.      By  Wakeling  Drv. 

ALFRED  BRUNEAU.      By  Arthur  Hervey. 

IGNAZ  PADEREWSKI.     By  E.  A.  Baughan. 

The  following   Volumes  are  in  preparation  : 

RICHARD  STRAUSS.      By  A.  Kalisch. 

CLAUDE  DEBUSSY.      By  Franz  Liebich. 

STARS    OF    THE    STAGE 

A  Series  of  Illustrated  Biographies  of  the  Leading 
Actors,  Actresses,  and  Dramatists.  Edited  by  J.  T. 
Grein.      Crown  8vo.     2i.  dd.  each  net, 

*»*  It  was  Schiller  "who  said:  "  Twine  no  wreath  for  the 
actor,  since  his  work  is  oral  and  ephemeral."  "Stars  of  the 
Stage"  tnay  in  some  deg^ree  remcnie  this  reproach.  There  are 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  playgoers,  and  both  editor  and  publisher 
think  it  reasonable  to  assume  that  a  considerable  number  of  these 
would  like  to  know  something  about  actors,  actresses,  and 
dramatists,  whose  work  they  nightly  applaud.  Each  volume 
will  be  carefully  illustrated,  and  as  far  as  text,  printing,  and 
paper  are  concerned  will  be  a  notable  book.  Great  care  has  been 
taken  in  selecting  the  biographers,  who  in  most  cases  have 
already  accumulated  tnuch  appropriate  tiiaterial. 

First  Volumes. 
ELLEN  TERRY.     By  Christopher  St.   John. 
HERBERT  BEERBOHM  TREE.  By  Mrs.  George  Cran. 
W.  S.   GILBERT.      By  Edith  A.  Browne. 
CHAS.  WYNDHAM.    By  Florence  Teignmouth  Shore. 
GEORGE   BERNARD  SHAW.      By  G.  K.  Chesterton. 


A   CATALOGUE    OF 

MEMOIRS,  "BIOGRAPHIES,  ETC, 

WO'^KS    UPON   ^APOLEON 
NAPOLEONdrTHE  INVASION  OF  ENGLAND : 

The  Story  of  the  Great  Terror,  1 797-1 805.  By  H.  F.  B. 
Wheeler  and  A.  M.  Broadley.  With  upwards  of  100  Full- 
page  Illustrations  reproduced  from  Contemporary  Portraits,  Prints, 
etc. ;  eight  in  Colour.      Two  Volumes.      3  zs.  net. 

Outlook. — "The  book  is  not  merely  one  to  be  ordered  from  the  library;  it  should  be 
purchased,  kept  on  an  accessible  shelf,  and  constantly  studied  by  all  Englishmen  who 
love  England." 

U-'esiim'nstc}-  Gazette. — "Messrs.  Wheeler  and  Broadley  have  succeeded  in  producing  a 
work  on  the  threatened  invasion  of  England  by  Napoleon,  which  treats  of  the  subject 
with  a  fulness  of  detail  and  a  completeness  of  documentary  evidence  that  are 
une.xampled." 

DUMOURIEZ     AND     THE     DEFENCE     OF 

ENGLAND  AGAINST  NAPOLEON.  By  J.  Holland 
Rose,  Litt.D.  (Cantab.),  Author  of  "The  Life  of  Napoleon," 
and  A.  M.  Broadley,  joint-author  of  ''  Napoleon  and  the  Invasion 
of  England."  Illustrated  with  numerous  Portraits,  Maps,  and 
Facsimiles.     Demy  8vo.      au.  net. 

THE     FALL     OF     NAPOLEON.         By     Oscar 

Browning,  M. A.,  Author  of  "The  Boyhood  and  Youth  of  Napoleon." 
With  numerous  Full-page  Illustrations.  Demy  8vo  (9  x  5|-  inches). 
\zs.  6d.  net. 

Spectator. — "  Without  doubt  Mr.  Oscar  Browning  has  produced  a  book  which  should  have 

its  place  in  any  library  of  Napoleonic  literature." 
Truth. — "  Mr.  Oscar  Browning  has  made  not  the  least,   but  the   most  of  the  romantic 

material  at  his  command  for  the  story  of  the  fall  of  the  greatest  figure  in  history." 

THE  BOYHOOD  &  YOUTH  OF  NAPOLEON, 

1769-1793.  Some  Chapters  on  the  early  life  of  Bonaparte. 
By  Oscar  Browning,  m.a.  With  numerous  Illustrations,  Por- 
traits, etc.      Crown  8vo.      5/.  net. 

Daily  News. — "  Mr.  Browning  has  with  patience,  labour,  careful  study,  and  excellent  taste 
given  us  a  very  valuable  work,  which  will  add  materially  to  the  literature  on  this  most 
fascinating  of  human  personalities." 

Literary  World. — ".  .  .  Mr.  Browning  has  examined  all  the  available  sources  of  informa- 
tion and  carefully  weighed  his  historical  evidence.  His  discriminating  treatment  has 
resulted  in  a  book  that  is  .  .  .  one  that  arrests  attention  by  the  conviction  its  reasoned 
conclusions  carry." 


i 


A    CATALOGUE    OF 


THE  DUKE  OF  REICHSTADT (NAPOLEON  II.) 

By  Edward  de  Wertheimer,  Translated  from  the  German. 
With  numerous  Illustrations.  Demy  8vo.  zis.  net.  (Sfccond 
Edition.) 

Times.  — "  A  most  careful  and  interesting  work  which  presents  the  first  complete  and 
authoritative  account  of  the  life  of  this  unfortunate  Prince." 

Westminster  Gazette. — "This  book,  admirably  produced,  reinforced  by  many  additional 
portraits,  is  a  solid  contribution  to  history  and  a  monument  of  patient,  well-applied 
research." 

NAPOLEON'S  CONQUEST  OF  PRUSSIA,  1806. 

By  F.  LoRAiNE  Petre.  With  an  Introduction  by  Field- 
Marshal  Earl  Roberts,  V.C,  K.G.,  etc.  With  Maps,  Battle 
Plans,  Portraits,  and  i6  Full-page  Illustrations.  Demy  8vo 
(9  X  5f  inches),      izs.  6d.  net. 

Scotsman. — "  Neither  too  concise,  nor  too  diffuse,  the  book  is  eminently  readable.  It  is  the 
best  work  in  English  on  a  somewhat  circumscribed  subject." 

Outlook.—"  Mr.  Petre  has  visited  the  battlefields  and  read  everything,  and  his  monograph  is 
a  model  of  what  military  history,  handled  with  enthusiasm  and  literary  ability,  can  be." 

NAPOLEON'S  CAMPAIGN  IN  POLAND,  1806- 

1807.  A  Military  History  of  Napoleon's  First  War  with  Russia, 
veriiied  from  unpublished  official  documents.  By  F.  Loraine 
Petre.  With  i6  Full-page  Illustrations,  Maps,  and  Plans.  New 
Edition.     Demy  8vo  (9  x  5  finches).      12/.  6d.  net. 

Army  and  Navy  Chronicle. — "We  welcome  a  second  edition  of  this  valuable  work.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Loraine  Petre  is  an  authority  on  the  wars  of  the  great  Napoleon,  and  has  brought 
the  greatest  care  and  energy  into  his  studies  of  the  subject." 

NAPOLEON      AND      THE      ARCHDUKE 

CHARLES.  A  History  of  the  Franco- Austrian  Campaign  in 
the  Valley  of  the  Danube  in  1809.  By  F.  Loraine  Petre. 
With  S  Illustrations  and  6  sheets  of  Maps  and  Plans.  Demy  8vo 
(9  ^  Sl  inches).      \zs.  dd.  net. 

RALPH  HEATHCOTE.    Letters  of  a  Diplomatist 

During  the  Time  of  Napoleon,  Giving  an  Account  of  the  Dispute 
between  the  Emperor  and  the  Elector  of  Hesse.  By  Countess 
GiJNTHER  Groben.  With  Numerous  Illustrations.  Demy  8vo 
(9  X  5 1  inches).     12/.  6a'.  net. 

*i*  Ralph  Heathcote,  the  son  of  an  English  father  and  an  Alsatian  mother,  was  /ar 
sortie  time  in  the  English  diplomatic  service  as  first  secretary  to  Mr.  Brook  Taylor,  minister 
at  the  Court  of  Hesse,  and  on  one  occasion  found  himself  very  near  to  making  history. 
Napoleon  became  persuaded  that  Taylor  luas  implicated  in  a  plot  to  procure  his  assassina- 
tion, and  insisted  on  his  dismissal  from  the  Hessian  Court.  As  Taylor  refused  to  he 
dismissed,  the  incident  at  one  time  seemed  likely  to  result  to  tlu  Elector  in  the  loss  of  his 
throne.  Heathcote  came  into  co?ttact  with  a  number  of  notable  people,  including  the  Miss 
Berrys,  zvith  whom  he  assures  his  mother  he  is  not  in  love.  On  the  whole,  there  is  muck 
interesting  material  for  lovers  of  old  letters  and  journals. 


I 


MEMOIRS,   BIOGRAPHIES,   Etc.       5 
MEMOIRS  OF  THE  COUNT  DE  CARTRIE. 

A  record  of  the  extraordinary  events  in  the  life  of  a  French 
Royalist  during  the  war  in  La  Vendee,  and  of  his  flight  to  South- 
^1^'  ampton,  where  he  followed  the  humble  occupation  of  gardener. 
With  an  introduction  by  Fredi^ric  Masson,  Appendices  and  Notes 
by  Pierre  Amedee  Pichot,  and  other  hands,  and  numerous  Illustra- 
tions, including  a  Photogravure  Portrait  of  the  Author.  Demy  8vo. 
12S.  dd.  net. 

Daily  Neivs. — "We  have  seldom  met  with  a  human  document  which  has  interested  us  so 

much." 
Athenaum. — "As  a  record  of  personal  suffering  and  indomitable   perseverance   against 

opposing  circumstances  tfie  narrative  of  De  Cartrie's  escape  to  the  Eastern  frontier,  in 

the  disguise  of  a  master-gunner,  could  not  easily  be  surpassed." 

WOMEN     OF    THE    SECOND    EMPIRE. 

Chronicles  of  the  Court  of  Napoleon  III.  By  Frederic  Loliee. 
With  an  introduction  by  Richard  Whiteing  and  53  full-page 
Illustrations,  3  in  Photogravure.     Demy  8vo.      21/.  net. 

standard. — "  M.  Frederic  Lolit;e  has  written  a  remarkable  book,  vivid  and  pitiless  in  its 
description  of  the  intrigue  and  dare-devil  spirit  which  flourished  unchecked  at  the  French 
Court.  .  .  .  Mr.  Richard  Whiteing's  introduction  is  written  with  restraint  and  dignity." 

Daily  Telegraph. — "  It  is  a  really  fascinating  story,  or  series  of  stories,  set  forth  in  this 
volume.  .  .  .  Here  are  anecdotes  innumerable  of  the  brilliant  women  of  the  Second  Em- 
pire, so  that  in  reading  the  book  we  are  not  only  dazzled  by  the  beauty  and  gorgeousness 
of  everything,  but  we  are  entertained  by  the  record  of  things  said  and  done,  and  through 
all  we  are  conscious  of  the  coming  'gloom  and  doom'  so  soon  to  overtake  the  Court. 
Few  novels  possess  the  fascination  of  this  spirited  work,  and  many  readers  will  hope  that 
the  author  will  carry  out  his  proposal  of  giving  us  a  further  series  of  memories  of  the 
'Women  of  the  Second  Empire.'" 

LOUIS  NAPOLEON  AND  THE  GENESIS  OF 
THE  SECOND  EMPIRE.  By  F.  H.  Cheetham.  With 
Numerous  Illustrations.     Demy  8vo  (9  x  5^  inches).    16;.  net. 

MEMOIRS     OF     MADEMOISELLE     DES 

ECHEROLLES.  Translated  from  the  French  by  Marie 
Clothilde  Balfour.  With  an  Introduction  by  G.  K.  Fortescue, 
Portraits,  etc.      5/.  net. 

Liverpool  Mercury. — ".  .  .  this  absorbing  book.  .  .  .  The  work  has  a  very  decided 
historical  value.  The  translation  is  excellent,  and  quite  notable  in  the  preservation  of 
idiom." 

JANE  AUSTEN'S  SAILOR  BROTHERS.     Being 

the  life  and  Adventures  of  Sir  Francis  Austen,  g.c.b..  Admiral  of 
the  Fleet,  and  Rear-Admiral  Charles  Austen.  By  J.  H.  and  E.  C. 
HuBBACK.    With  numerous  Illustrations.    Demy  Svo.     1 2/.  dd.  net. 

MorHtHg  Post. — ".  .  .  May  be  welcomed  as  an  important  addition  to  Austeniana  .  .  .; 
it  is  besides  valuable  for  its  glimpses  of  life  in  the  Navy,  its  illustrations  of  the  feelings 
and  sentiments  of  naval  officers  during  the  period  that  preceded  and  that  which 
followed  the  great  battle  of  just  one  century  ago,  the  battle  which  won  so  much  but 
which  cost  us — Nelson." 


A    CATALOGUE    OF 


SOiME    WOMEN    LOVING    AND    LUCKLESS. 

By  Teddor  de  Wyzewa.  Translated  from  the  French  by  C.  H. 
Jeffreson,  m.a.  With  Numerous  Illustrations.  Demy  8vo 
(9  X  5|-  inches),      is.  6  J.  net. 

POETRY   AND   PROGRESS    IN    RUSSIA.      By 

Rosa  Newmarch.  With  6  full-page  Portraits.  Demy  8vo. 
js.  6d.  net. 

Standard. — "  Distinctly  a  book  that  should  be  read  .    .    .    pleasantly  written  and  well 
informed." 

THE  LIFE  OF  PETER  ILICH  TCHAIKOVSKY 

(1840-1893).  By  his  Brother,  MoDESTE  Tchaikovsky.  Edited 
and  abridged  from  the  Russian  and  German  Editions  by  Rosa 
Newmarch.  With  Numerous  Illustrations  and  Facsimiles  and  an 
Introduction  by  the  Editor,  Demy  8vo.  js.  6d.  net.  Second 
edition. 

The  Times. — "A  most  illuminating  commentary  on  Tchaikovsky's  music." 

World. — "  One  of  the  most  fascinating  self-revelations  by  an  artist  which  has  been  given  to 

the  world.  The  translation  is  excellent,  and  worth  reading  for  its  own  sake." 
Confe>r,po7-ary  Review. — "  The  book's  appeal  is,  of  course,  primarily  to  the  music-lover ;  but 
there  is  so  much  of  human  and  literary  interest  in  it,  such  intimate  revelation  of  a 
singularly  interesting  personality,  that  many  who  have  never  come  under  the  spell  of 
the  Pathelic  Symphony  will  be  strongly  attracted  by  what  is  virtually  the  spiritual 
autobiography  of  its  composer.  High  praise  is  due  to  the  translator  and  editor  for  the 
literary  "skill  with  which  she  has  prepared  the  English  version  of  this  fascinating  work  .  .  . 
There  have  been  few  collections  of  letters  published  within  recent  years  that  give  so 
vivid  a  portrait  of  the  writer  as  that  presented  to  us  in  these  pages." 

COKE    OF    NORFOLK   AND    HIS   FRIENDS: 

The  Life  of  Thomas  William  Coke,  First  Earl  of  Leicester  of 
the  second  creation,  containing  an  account  of  his  Ancestry, 
Surroundings,  Public  Services,  and  Private  Friendships,  and 
including  many  Unpublished  Letters  from  Noted  Men  of  his  day, 
English  and  American.  By  A.  M.  W.  Stirling.  With  20 
Photogravure  and  up'wards  of  40  other  Illustrations  reproduced 
from  Contemporary  Portraits,  Prints,  etc.  Demy  8vo.  2  vols. 
32/.  net. 

The  Tillies.—'^  'We  thank  Mr.  Stirling  for  one  of  the  most  interaeting  memoirs  of  recent 

years." 
Daily  Telc^raf'h. — "  A  very  remarkable  literary  performance.     Mrs.  Stirling  has  achieved 

a  resurrection.     She  has  fashioned  a  picture  of  a  dead  and  forgotten  past  and  brought 

before  our  eyes  with  the  vividness  of  breathing  existence  the  life  of  our  English  ancestors 

of  the  eighteenth  century." 
Pall  Mall  Gazette.— "  A  work  of  no  common  interest ;  in  fact,  a  work  which  may  almost  be 

called  unique." 
Evemng  Standard. — "One  of  the  most  interesting  biographies  we  have  read  for  years." 


MEMOIRS,   BIOGRAPHIES,   Etc.      7 

THE  LIFE  OF  SIR  HALLIDAY  MACART- 
NEY, K.C.M.G.,  Commander  of  Li  Hung  Chang's  trained 
force  in  the  Taeping  Rebellion,  founder  of  the  first  Chinese 
Arsenal,  Secretary  to  the  first  Chinese  Embassy  to  Europe. 
Secretary  and  Councillor  to  the  Chinese  Legation  in  London  for 
thirty  years.  By  Demetrius  C.  Boulger,  Author  of  the 
"History  of  China,"  the  "Life  of  Gordon,"  etc.  With  Illus- 
trations.    Demy  8vo.      Price  24/.  net. 

Daily  Graphic. — "  It  is  safe  to  say  that  few  readers  will  be  able  to  put  down  the  book  with- 
out feeling  the  better  for  having  read  it  .  .  .  not  only  full  of  personal  interest,  but 
tells  us  much  that  we  never  knew  before  on  some  not  unimportant  details." 

DEVONSHIRE  CHARACTERS  AND  STRANGE 

EVENTS.  By  S.  Baring-Gould,  m.a..  Author  of"  Yorkshire 
Oddities,"  etc.      With  58  Illustrations.      Demy   8vo.      21/.  net. 

Daily  News. — "A  fascinating  series  .  .  .  the  whole  book  is  rich  in  human  interest.  It  is 
by  personal  touches,  drawn  from  traditions  and  memories,  that  the  dead  men  surrounded 
by  the  curious  panoply  of  their  time,  are  made  to  live  again  in  Mr.  Baring-Gould's  pages." 

CORNISH     CHARACTERS    AND     STRANGE 

EVENTS.     By  S.  Baring-Gould.     Demy  8vo.      16/.  net. 

THE    HEART    OF    GAMBETTA.      Translated 

from  the  French  of  Francis  Laur  by  Violette  Montagu. 
With  an  Introduction  by  John  Macdonald,  Portraits  and  other 
Illustrations.     Demy  8vo.      7/.  Sd.  net. 

Daily  Telegraph.—"  It  is  Gambetta  pouring  out  his  soul  to  L6onie  Leon,  the  strange, 
passionate,  masterful  demagogue,  who  wielded  the  most  persuasive  oratory  of  modern 
times,  acknowledging  his  idol,  his  inspiration,  his  Egeria." 

THE  MEMOIRS  OF  ANN,  LADY  FANSHAWE. 

Written  by  Lady  Fanshawe.  With  Extracts  from  the  Correspon- 
dence of  Sir  Richard  Fanshawe.  Edited  by  H.  C.  Fanshawe. 
With  38  Full-page  Illustrations,  including  four  in  Photogravure 
and  one  in  Colour.     Demy  8vo.      i6i.  net. 

»»*  This  Edition  has  been  printed  direct  from  the  original  manuscript  in  the  possession 
of  the  Fanshawe  Family,  and  Mr.  H.  C.  Fanshatve  contributes  numerous  notes  which 
form  a  running  commentary  on  the  text.  Many  famous  pictures  are  reproduced,  includ- 
ing paintings  by  Velazquez  and  Van  Dyck. 


8  A    CATALOGUE    OF 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  LADY-IN-WAITING.     By 

Lady  Charlotte  Bury.  Being  the  Diary  Illustrative  of  the 
Times  of  George  the  Fourth.  Interspersed  with  original  Letters 
from  the  late  Queen  Caroline  and  from  various  other  distinguished 
persons.  New  edition.  Edited,  with  an  Introduction,  by  A. 
Francis  Steuart.  With  numerous  portraits.  Two  Vols. 
Demy  8vo.      zis.  net. 

*»*  T^is  book,  luhich  appeared  anonymously  in  1838,  created  an  enormous  sensation, 
and  '.DOS  fiercely  criticised  by  Thackeray  and  in  the  Reineivs  0/  the  time.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  it  was  founded  on  the  diary  of  Lady  Charlotte  Bury,  daughter  of  the  sth  Duke 
of  Argyll,  and  Lady-in- Waiting  to  the  unfortunate  Caroline  of  Brunswick,  when 
Princess  of  Wales.  It  deals,  therefore,  with  the  curious  Court  of  the  latter  and  with  the 
scandals  that  occurred  there,  as  well  as  with  the  strange  vagaries  of  the  Princess  abroad. 
In  this  edition  names  left  blank  in  the  original  have  been  {where  possible)  filled  up,  and 
many  notes  are  given  by  the  Editor  to  render  it  useful  to  the  ever-increasing  nutnber  oj 
readers  interested  in  the  later  Georgian  Period. 


THE    DAUGHTER    OF   LOUIS    XVI.  :    Marie- 

Therese-Charlotte  of  France,  Duchesse  D'Angouleme.  By  G. 
Lenotre.  With  13  Full-page  Illustrations.  Demy  8vo. 
10J-.   (id.   net. 

*♦'  M.  G.  Lenotre  is  perhaps  the  most  widely  read  of  a  group  of  modern  French  writers 
mho  have  succeeded  in  treating  history  from  a  point  of  view  at  once  scientific,  drajnatic 
and  popular.  He  has  tnade  the  Revolution  his  particular  field  of  research,  and  deals  not 
only  zuith  the  most  prominent  figures  of  that  period,  but  with  many  minor  characters 
■whose  life-stories  are  quite  as  thrilling  as  anything  in  fiction.  The  localities  in  which 
these  drarnas  were  enacted  are  vividly  brought  before  us  in  his  works,  for  no  one  has 
reconstructed  iSth  century  Paris  with  more  picturesque  and  accurate  detail.  "  The 
Daughter  of  Louis  XVI."  is  quite  equal  in  interest  and  literary  merit  to  any  of  the 
volumes  which  have  preceded  it,  not  excepting  the  famous  Drama  ofVarennes.  As  usual, 
M.  Lenotre  draws  his  7naterial  largely  from  contemporary  documents,  and  among  the 
most  remarkable  memoirs  reproduced  in  this  book  are  "  The  Story  of  my  Visit  to  the 
Temple  "  by  Harmand  de  la  Meuse,  and  the  artless,  but  profoundly  touching  narrative  oj 
the  unhappy  orphaned  Princess:  "A  manuscript  written  by  Marie  Therese  Charlotte 
of  France  upon  the  captivity  of  the  Princes  and  Princesses,  her  relatives,  imprisoned  in 
the  Temple."  The  illustrations  are  a  feature  of  the  volume  and  include  the  so-called 
"  telescope"  portrait  of  the  Princess,  sketched frotn  life  by  an  anonymous  artist,  stationed 
at  a  window  opposite  her  prison  in  the  tower  of  the  Temple. 

THE  TRUE  STORY  OF  MY  LIFE  :  an  Auto- 
biography by  Alice  M.  Diehl,  Novelist,  Writer,  and  Musician. 
Demy  8vo.      los.  6d.  net. 

Daily  Chronicle.— "  This  work  .  .  .  has  the  introspective  touch,  intimate  and  revealing, 
which  autobiography,  if  it  is  to  be  worth  anything,  should  have.  Mrs.  Diehl's  pages  have 
reality,  a  living  throb,  and  so  are  indeed  autobiography." 


MEMOIRS,   BIOGRAPHIES,   Etc.       9 


HUBERT  AND  JOHN  VAN  EYCK  :  Their  Life 

and  Work.  By  W.  H.  James  Weale.  With  41  Photogravure 
and  95  Black  and  White  Reproductions.     Royal  4to.    £^  5/.  net. 

Sir  Martin  Conway's  Note. 
Nearly  half  a  century  has  passed  since  Mr.  IV.  H.  James  Weale,  then  resident  at 
Bruges,  began  that  long  series  of  patient  investigations  into  the  history  of  Netherlandish 
art  which  ^vas  destined  to  earn  so  rich  a  har~oest.  When  he  began  work  Menilinc  was 
still  called  Hem  ling,  and  was  fabled  to  have  arrived  at  Bruges  as  a  wounded  soldier. 
The  van  Eycks  were  little  jnorc  than  legendary  heroes.  Roger  Van  der  Weyden  was  little 
more  than  a  name.  Most  of  the  other  great  Netherlandish  artists  were  either  wholly 
forgotten  or  named  only  in  contiection  zuith  paintings  with  which  they  had  nothing  to  do. 
Mr.  Weale  discovered  Gerard  David,  and  disentangled  his  principal  ^vorksfom  Mem- 
line  s,  with  which  they  were  then  confused.  During  a  series  of  years  he  published  in  the 
"  Beffroi,"  a  magazine  issued  by  himself,  the  many  important  records  from  ancient 
archives  which  threw  a  flood  of  light  upon  the  whole  origin  and  development  of  the  early 
Netherlandish  school.  By  universal  admission  he  is  hailed  all  over  Europe  as  the  father 
cf  this  study.  It  is  due  to  him  in  great  measure  that  the  masterpieces  of  that  school, 
•which  by  neglect  zvere  in  danger  of  periihing  fifty  years  ago,  are  now  recognised  as  among 
the  most  priceless  treasures  of  the  Museums  of  Europe  and  the  United  States.  The 
publication  by  him,  therefore,  in  the  ripeness  of  his  years  and  experience,  of  the  result  q/ 
his  studies  on  the  van  Eycks  is  a  matter  of  considerable  importance  to  students  of  art 
history.  Lately,  since  the  revived  interest  in  the  works  of  the  Early  French  painters  has 
attracted  the  attention  of  untrained  speculators  to  the  superior  schools  of  the  Low 
Countries,  a  number  of  wild  theories  have  been  started  which  cannot  stand  upright  in  the 
face  of  recorded  facts.  A  book  is  now  needed  which  will  set  dozvn  all  those  Jacts  in  full 
and  accurate  form.    Fullness  and  accuracy  are  the  characteristics  of  all  Mr.  Weale' s  work. 

VINCENZO  FOPPA  OF  BRESCIA,  Founder  of 

THE  Lombard  School,  His  Life  and  Work.  By  Constance 
JocELYN  Ffoulkes  and  Monsignor  Rodolfo  Majocchi,  D.D., 
Rector  of  the  CoUegio  Borromeo,  Pavia.  Based  on  research  in  the 
Archives  of  Milan,  Pavia,  Brescia,  and  Genoa,  and  on  the  study 
of  all  his  known  works.  With  over  100  Illustrations,  many  in 
Photogravure,  and  100  Documents.    Royal  410.    J[^1.  \\s.  6cl.  net. 

*,*  No  complete  Life  of  Vincenco  Foppa,  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  North  Italian 
Masters,  has  ever  been  written  :  an  omission  which  seems  almost  inexplicable  m  these  days 
■of  over-production  in  the  7natter  of  biographies  of  painters,  and  of  subjects  relating  to  the 
art  of  Italy.  In  Milanese  territory— the  sphere  of  Foppa' s  activity  during  many  years — 
he  was  regarded  by  his  contemporaries  as  unrivalled  in  his  art,  and  his  right  to  be 
considered  the  head  and  founder  of  the  Lombard  school  is  undoubted.  His  influence  "Mas 
powerful  and  far-reaching,  extending  eastwards  beyond  the  limits  of  Brescian  territory, 
and  south  and  westzvards  to  Liguria  and  Piedmont.  In  the  Milanese  district  it  was 
practically  dominant  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  until  the  coming  of  Leonardo  da 
Vinci  thrust  Foppa  and  his  followers  into  the  shade,  and  induced  him  to  abandon  Pavia, 
which  had  been  his  home  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  to  return  to  Brescia.  The  object 
of  the  authors  of  this  book  has  been  to  present  a  true  picture  of  the  master's  life  based 
upon  the  testimony  of  records  in  Italian  archives;  ail  facts  hitherto  known  relating 
to  him  have  been  brought  together;  all  statements  have  been  verified ;  and  a  great  deal  of 
new  and  unpublished  material  has  been  added.  The  authors  have  unearthed  a  large 
amount  of  new  tnaterial  relating  to  Foppa,  one  of  the  most  interesting  facts  brought  to 
light  being  that  he  lived  for  tiventy-three  years  longer  than  was  formerly  supposed.  The 
illustrations  will  include  several  pictures  by  Foppa  hitherto  unknown  in  the  history  of  art, 
and  others  which  have  never  before  been  published,  as  well  as  reproductions  of  every 
existing  work  by  the  master  at  present  known. 


lo A    CATALOGUE    OF 

CESAR  FRANCK  :  A  Study.     Translated  from  the 

French  of  Vincent  d'Indy.     And  with  an  Introduction  by  Rosa 
Newmakch.     Demy  8vo.      jj.  6d.  net. 

*»*  There  is  no  purer  influence  in  modern  music  than  that  of  Cesar  Franck,  /or  many 
years  ignored  in  erery  capacity  save  that  of  organist  of  Sninte-Ctotildc,  in  Paris,  but  no7V 
recognised  as  the  legitimate  successor  of  Bach  and  Bcethozien.  His  inspiration  "  rooted  in 
love  and  faith  "  has  i  ontrihuted  in  a  remarkable  degree  to  the  regeneration  of  the  musical 
art  in  France  and  elsewhere.  The  noiv  famous  ^'  Schola  Cantorum,"  founded  in  I'aris  in 
i8q6,  by  a.  Guihnant,  Charles  Bordes  and  Vincent  d'Indy,  is  the  direct  outco>ne  of  his 
influence .  Among  t/ie  artists  luho  where  in  some  sert  his  disciples  ivere  Paul  Dukas, 
Chabrier,  Gabriel  Faure  and  the  great  violinist  Vsiiye.  His  pupils  include  such  gifted 
composers  as  Benott,  Augusta  Holmes,  Chausson,  Ropartz,  and  d'  Indy,  This  book, 
•written  with  the  devotion  of  a  disciple  and  the  authority  of  a  7naste?;  leaves  us  with 
a  vivid  and  touching  impression  of  the  saint-lilie  composer  of  "  The  Beatitudes." 

JUNIPER  HALL  :  Rendezvous  of  certain  illus- 
trious Personages  during  the  French  Revolution,  including  Alex- 
ander D'Arblay  and  Fanny  Burney.  Compiled  by  Constance 
Hill.  With  numerous  Illustrations  by  Ellen  G.  Hill,  and  repro- 
ductions from  various  Contemporary  Portraits.    Crown  8vo.     5j-.net. 

Daily  Telegraph.  — "  .  .  .  one  of  the  most  charming  volumes  published  within  recent  years. 
.  .  .  Miss  Hill  has  drawn  a  really  idyllic  and  graphic  picture  of  the  daily  life  and  gossip 
of  the  stately  but  unfortunate  dames  and  noblemen  who  found  in  Juniper  Hall  a 
thoroughly  English  home." 

The  Times. — "'  This  book  makes  another  on  the  long  and  seductive  list  of  books  that  take 
up  history  just  where  history  proper  leaves  oft'  .  .  .  We  have  given  but  a  faint  idea  of 
the  freshness,  the  innocent  gaiety  of  its  pages  ;  we  can  give  none  at  all  of  the  beauty  and 
interest  of  the  pictures  that  adorn  it." 

Westminster  Gazette. — "  Skilfully  and  charmingly  told." 

JANE    AUSTEN  :   Her  Homes  and  Her  Friends. 

By  Constance  Hill.  Numerous  Illustrations  by  Ellen  G.  Hill, 
together  with  Reproductions  from  Old  Portraits,  etc.  Cr.  8vo.  5/.  net. 

World. — "  Miss  Constance  Hill  has  given  us  a  thoroughly  delightful  book.  .  .  ." 
Spectator. —  '  This  book  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  Austen  lore." 

Daily  Telegraph. — "  Miss  Constance  Hill,  the  authoress  of  this  charming  book,  has  laid  all 
devout  admirers  of  Jane  Austen  and  her  inimitable  novels  under  a  debt  of  gratitude." 

THE    HOUSE    IN    ST.    MARTIN'S    STREET. 

Being  Chronicles  of  the  Burney  Family.  By  Constance  Hill, 
Author  of  "  Jane  Austen,  Her  Home,  and  Her  Friends,"  "  Juniper 
Hall,"  etc.  With  numerous  Illustrations  by  Ellen  G.  Hill,  and 
reproductions  of  Contemporary  Portraits,  etc.    Demy  8vo.    21s.net. 

World. — "This  valuable  and  very  fascinating  work.  .  .  .  Charmingly  illustrated.  .  .  . 
Those  interested  in  this  stirring  period  of  history  and  the  famous  folk  who  were  Fanny 
Burney 's  friends  should  not  fail  to  add  '  The  House  in  St.  Martin's  Street '  to  their 
collection  of  books." 

Mr.  C.  K.  Shortek  in  Sphere. — "  Miss  Hill  has  written  a  charming,  an  indispensable  book." 

STORY  OF  THE  PRINCESS  DES  URSINS  IN 

SPAIN  (Camarera-Mayor).  By  Constance  Hill.  With  12 
Illustrations  and  a  Photogravure  Frontispiece.  New  Edition. 
Crown  8vo.      5/.  net. 

Truth. — "  It  is  a  brilliant  study  of  the  brilliant  Frenchwoman  who  in  the  earlyyears  of  the 
eighteenth  century  played  such  a  remarkable  part  in  saving  the  Bourbon  dynasty  in 
Spain.  Miss  Hill's  narrative  is  interesting  from  the  first  page  to  the  last,  and  the  value 
of  the  book  is  enhanced  by  the  reproductions  of  contemporary  portraits  with  which  it  is 
illustrated." 


MEMOIRS,    BIOGRAPHIES,   Etc.     ii 
NEW    LETTERS    OF    THOMAS    CARLYLE. 

Edited  and  Annotated  by  Alexander  Carlyle,  with  Notes  and 
an  Introduction  and  numerous  Illustrations.  In  Two  Volumes. 
Demy  8vo.      25/.  net. 

Pall  Mall  Gazette. — "  To  the  portrait  of  the  man,  Thomas,  these  letters  do  really  add 

value ;  we  can  learn  to  respect  and  to  like  him  the  more  for  the  genuine  goodness  of  his 

personalit}'." 
Morning  Leader. — "  These  volumes  open  the  very  heart  of  Carlyle." 
Literary  Worlii. — "  It  is  then  Carlyle,  the  nobly  filial  son,  we  see  in  these  letters  ;  Carlyle, 

the  generous  and  affectionate  brother,   the  loyal  and  warm-hearted  friend,  .  .  .  and 

above  all,  Carlyle  as  the  tender  and  faithful  lover  of  his  wife." 
Daily  Telegraph.—'''  The  letters  are  characteristic  enough  of  the  Carlyle  we  know  :  very 

picturesque  and  entertaining,  full  of  extravagant  emphasis,  written,  as  a  rule,  at  fever 

heat,  eloquently  rabid  and  emotional." 

THE  NEMESIS   OF  FROUDE  :;  a  Rejoinder  to 

"  My  Relations  with  Carlyle."  By  Sir  James  Crichton  Browne 
and  Alexander  Carlylf.     Demy  8vo.      3/.  6d.  net. 

Glasgow  Herald. — ".  .  .  The  book  practically  accomplishes  its  task  of  reinstating  Carlyle  ; 

as  an  attack  on  Froude  it  is  overwhelming." 
Public  Opinion. — "The  main  object  of  the  book  is  to  prove  that  Froude  believed  a  myth 

and  betrayed  his  trust.     That  aim  has  been  achieved." 

NEW  LETTERS  AND  MEMORIALS  OF  JANE 

WELSH  CARLYLE.  A  Collection  of  hitherto  Unpublished 
Letters.  Annotated  by  Thomas  Carlyle,  and  Edited  by 
Alexander  Carlyle,  with  an  Introduction  by  Sir  James  Crichton 
Browne,  m.d.,  ll.d.,  f.r.s.,  numerous  Illustrations  drawn  in  Litho- 
graphy by  T.  R.  Way,  and  Photogravure  Portraits  from  hitherto 
unreproduced  Originals.    In  Two  Volumes.    Demy  8vo.    25/.  net. 

Westminster  Gazette. — "  Few  letters  in  the  language  have  in  such  perfection  the  qualities 
which  good  letters  should  possess.  Frank,  gay,  brilliant,  indiscreet,  immensely  clever, 
whimsical,  and  audacious,  they  reveal  a  character  which,  with  whatever  alloy  of  human 
infirmity,  must  endear  itself  to  any  reader  of  understanding." 

World. — "Throws  a  deal  of  new  light  on  the  domestic  relations  of  the  Sage  of  Chelsea. 
They  also  contain  the  full  text  of  Mrs.  Carlyle's  fascinating  journal,  and  her  own 
'  humorous  and  quaintly  candid  '  narrative  of  her  first  love-affair." 

Daily  News. — "  Every  page  .  .  .  scintillates  with  keen  thoughts,  biting  criticisms,  flashing 
phrases,  and  touches  of  bright  comedy." 

EMILE    ZOLA  :    Novelist    and    Reformer.      An 

Account  of  his  Life,  Work,  and  Influence.  By  E.  A.  Vizetelly. 
With  numerous  Illustrations,  Portraits,  etc.     Demy  8vo.     21/.  net. 

Morning  Post. — "Mr.  Ernest  Vizetelly  has  given  .  .  .  a  very  true  insight  into  the  aims, 

character,  and  life  of  the  novelist." 
AthentTum. — ".  .  .   Exhaustive  and  interesting." 
M.A.P. — ".  .  .  will  stand  as  the  classic  biography  of  Zola." 
Star. — "  This  '  Life'  of  Zola  is  a  very  fascinating  book." 
Academy. — "  It  was  inevitable  that  the  authoritative  life  of  Emile  Zola  should  belfrom  the 

pen  of  E.  A.  Vizetelly.     No  one  probably  has  the  same  qualifications,  and  this  bulky 

volume  of  nearly  six  hundred  pages  is  a  worthy  tribute  to  the  genius  of  the  master." 
Mr.  T.  P.  O'Connor  in  T.P.'s  Weekly.— "  \\.  is  a  story  of  fascinating  interest,  and  is  told 

admirably  by  Mr.  Vizetelly.    I  can  promise  any  one  who  takes  it  up  that  he  will  find  it 

very  difficult  to  lay  it  down  again." 


12  A    CATALOGUE    OF 


MEMOIRS  OF  THE  MARTYR  KING  :  being  a 

detailed  record  of  the  last  two  years  of  the  Reign  of  His  Most 
Sacred  Majesty  King  Charles  the  First,  1 646-1 648-9.  Com- 
piled by  Allan  Fea.  With  upwards  of  100  Photogravure 
Portraits  and  other  Illustrations,  including  relics.  Royal  4to. 
105/.  net. 

Mr.  M.  H.  Spielmann  in  The  Academy. — "The  volume  is  a  triumph  for  the  primer  and 

publisher,  and  a  solid  contribution  to  Carolinian  literature." 
Pall  Mall  Gazette. — "  The  present  sumptuous  volume,  a  storehouse  of  eloquent  associations 
.  .  comes  as  near  to  outward  perfection  as  anything  we  could  desire." 

AFTER  WORCESTER  FIGHT  :   being  the  Con- 

temporary  Account  of  King  Charles  II.'sl  escape,  not  included  in 
"  The  Flight  of  the  King."  By  Allan  Fea.  With  numerous 
Illustrations.     Demy  8vo.      I5.f.  net. 

Morning  Post, — "The  work  possesses  all  the  interest  of  a  thrilling  historical  romance,  the 

scenes  of  which  are  described  by  the  characters  themselves,  in  the  language  of  the  time, 

and  forms  a  valuable  contribution  to  existing  Stuart  literature." 
IVcsicrn  Morning  iVczvs. — "  Mr.    Fea  has  shown  great   industry  in  investigating  every 

possible  fact  that  has  any  bearing  on  his  subject,  and  has  succeeded  in  thoroughly 

establishing  the  incidents  of  that  romantic  escape." 
Standard. — "  .  .  .  throws  fresh  light  on  one  of  the  most  romantic  episodes  in  the  annals  of 

English  History." 

KING    MONMOUTH  :    being   a    History    of  the 

Career  of  James  Scott,  the  Protestant  Duke,  1649-168 5.  By 
Allan  Fea.  With  14  Photogravure  Portraits,  a  Folding-plan  of 
the  Battle  of  Sedgemoor,  and  upwards  of  100  black,  and  white 
Illustrations.     Demy  8vo.      21/.  net. 

Morning  Post. — "  The  story  of  Monmouth's  career  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the 
annals  of  English  History,  and  Mr.  Fea's  volume  is  singularly  fascinating.  Not  only 
does  it  supplement  and  correct  the  prejudiced  though  picturesque  pages  6f  Macaulay, 
but  it  seems  to  make  the  reader  personally  acquainted  with  a  large  number  of  the 
characters  who  prominently  figured  in  the  conspiracies  and  in  the  intrigues,  amorous 
and  political,  when  society  and  politics  were  seething  in  strange  cauldrons." 

FRENCH   NOVELISTS   OF  TO-DAY  :   Maurice 

Barres,  Rene  Bazin,  Paul  Bourget,  Pierre  de  Coulevain,  Anatole 
France,  Pierre  Loti,  Marcel  Prevost,  and  Edouard  Rod.  Bio- 
graphical, Descriptive,  and  Critical.  By  Winifred  Stephens. 
With  Portraits  and  Bibliographies.      Crown  8vo.      5/.  net. 

*#*  The  ■writer^  who  has  lived  much  in  France,  is  thoroughly  acquainted  uu'th  French 
life  and  ^vith  the  principal  currents  of  French  thought.  The  book  is  intended  to  be  a. 
guide  to  English  readers  desirous  to  keep  in  touch  ivith  the  best  present-day  French 
fiction.  Special  attention  is  given  to  the  ecclesiastical,  social,  and  intellectual probleins 
0/ contemporary  France  and  their  influence  upon  the  luorks  of  French  novelists  of  to-day. 

THE    KINGS    GENERAL    IN     THE     WEST, 

being  the  Life  of  Sir  Richard  Granville,  Baronet  (1600-1659). 
By  Roger  Granville,  M.A.,  Sub-Dean  of  Exeter  Cathedral. 
With  Illustrations.     Demy  8vo.      10/.  dd.  net. 

Westminster  Gazette. — "A  distinctly  interesting  work;  it  will  be  highly  appreciated  by 
historical  students  as  well  as  by  ordinary  readers." 


MEMOIRS,   BIOGRAPHIES,   Etc.     13 
THE    LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF    ROBERT 

Stephen  Hawker,  sometime  Vicar  of  Morwenstow  in  Cornwall. 
By  C.  E.  Byles.  With  numerous  Illustrations  by  J.  Ley 
Pethybridge   and   others.     Demy    8vo.      7/.    dd.   net. 

Daily  Telegraph. — "  ...  As  soon  as  the  volume  is  opened  one  finds  oneself  in  the  presence 
of  a  real  original,  a  man  of  ability,  genius  and  eccentricity,  of  whom  one  cannot  know 
too  much  .  .  .  No  one  will  read  this  fascinating  and  charmingly  produced  book  without 
thanks  to  Mr.  Bytes  and  a  desire  to  visit — or  revisit — Morwenstow." 

THE  LIFE  OF  WILLIAM  BLAKE.  BxAlexander 

Gilchrist.  Edited  with  an  Introduction  by  W.Graham  Robertson. 
Numerous  Reproductions  from  Blake's  most  characteristic  and 
remarkable  designs.     Demy  8vo.      10/.  6^.  net.      New  Edition. 

Birmingham  Post. — "Nothing  seems  at  all  likely  ever  to  supplant  the  Gilchrist  biography. 
Mr.  Swinburne  praised  it  magnificently  in  his  own  eloquent  essay  on  Blake,  and  there 
should  be  no  need  now  to  point  out  its  entire  sanity,  understanding  keenness  of  critical 
insight,  and  masterly  literary  style.  Dealing  with  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  subjects, 
it  ranks  among  the  finest  things  of  its  kind  that  we  possess." 

MEMOIRS  OF  A  ROYAL  CHAPLAIN,  1729-63. 

The  correspondence  of  Edmund  Pyle,  d.d.,  Domestic  Chaplain  to 
George  II,  with  Samuel  Kerrich,  d.d..  Vicar  of  Dersingham,  and 
Rector  of  Wolferton  and  West  Newton.  Edited  and  Annotated 
by  Albert  Hartshorne.      With  Portrait.      Demy  8vo.      i6.f.  net» 

Truth. — "  It  is  undoubtedly  the  most  important  book  of  the  kind  that  has  been  published 
in  recent  years,  and  is  certain  to  disturb  many  readers  whose  minds  have  not  travelled 
with  the  time." 

GEORGE     MEREDITH  :     Some    Characteristics. 

By  Richard  Le  Gallienne.  With  a  Bibliography  (much  en- 
larged) by  John  Lane.  Portrait,  etc.  Crown  8 vo.  5j.net.  Fifth 
Edition.     Revised. 

Punch. — "All  Meredlthians  must  possess  'George  Meredith;  Some  Characteristics,'  by 
Richard  Le  Gallienne.  This  book  is  a  complete  and  e.xcellent  guide  to  the  novelist  and 
the  novels,  a  sort  of  Meredithian  Bradshaw,  with  pictures  of  the  traffic  superintendent 
and  the  head  office  at  Boxhill.  Even  Philistines  may  be  won  over  by  the  blandishments 
of  Mr.  Le  Gallienne." 

LIFE  OF  LORD  CHESTERFIELD.    An  account 

of  the  Ancestry,  Personal  Character,  and  Public  Services  of  the 
Fourth  Earl  of  Chesterfield.  By  W.  H.  Craig,  M.A.  Numerous 
Illustrations.     Demy  8vo.      1 2s.  dd.  net. 

Daily  Telegraph. — "Mr.  Craig  has  set  out  to  present  him  (Lord  Chesterfield)  as  one  of  the 
striking  figures  of  a  formative  period  in  our  modern  history  .  .  .  and  has  succeeded  in 
giving  us  a  very  attractive  biography  of  a  remarkable  man." 

Times. — "  It  is  the  chief  point  of  Mr.  Craig's  book  to  show  the  sterling  qualities  which 
Chesterfield  was  at  too  much  pains  in  concealing,  to  reject  the  perishable  trivialities  of 
his  character,  and  to  exhibit  him  as  a  philosophic  statesman,  not  inferior  to  any  of  his 
contemporaries,  except  Walpole  at  one  end  of  his  life,  and  Chatham  at  the  other." 


14  A    CATALOGUE    OF 


A  QUEEN  OF  INDISCRETIONS.     The  Tragedy 

of  Caroline  of  Brunswick,  Oucen  of  England.  From  the  Italian 
of  G.  P.  Clerici.  Translated  by  Frederic  Chapman.  With 
numerous  Illustrations  reproduced  from  contemporary  Portraits  and 
Prints.     Demy  8vo.      21s.  net. 

T/u:  Daily  Telegraph. — "  It  could  scarcely  be  done  more  thoroughly  or,  on  the  whole,  in 
better  taste  than  is  here  displayed  by  Professor  Clerici.  Mr.  Frederic  Chapman  himself 
contributes  an  uncommonly  interesting  and  well-informed  introduction." 

Westminster  Gazette.—^''  The  volume,  scholarly  and  well-informed  .  .  .  forms  one  long  and 
absorbingly  interesting  chapter  of  the  chronique  scandaUuse  of  Court  life  .  .  .  reads 
like  a  romance,  except  that  no  romancer  would  care  or  dare  to  pack  his  pages  so  closely 
with  startling  effects  and  fantastic  scenes." 

LETTERS    AND    JOURNALS    OF    SAMUEL 

GRIDLEY  HOWE.  Edited  by  his  Daughter  Laura  E. 
Richards.  With  Notes  and  a  Preface  by  F.  B.  Sanborn,  an 
Introduction  by  Mrs.  John  Lane,  and  a  Portrait.  Demy  8vo 
(9  X  5f  inches).      \6s.  net.  i» 

Outlook. — "This  deeply  interesting  record  of  experience.  The  volume  is  worthily  produced 
and  contains  a  striking  portrait  of  Howe." 

Daily  Nc-.vs. — "  Dr.  Howe's  book  is  full  of  shrewd  touches  ;  it  seems  to  be  very  much  a  part 
of  the  lively,  handsome  man  of  the  portrait.  His  writing  is  striking  and  vivid  ;  it  is  the 
writing  of  a  shrewd,  keen  observer,  intensely  interested  in  the  event  before  hira." 

THE    LIFE    OF    ST.  MARY    MAGDALEN. 

Translated  from  the  Italian  of  an  Unknown  Fourteenth-Century 
Writer  by  Valentina  Hawtrey.  With  an  Introductory  Note  by 
Vernon  Lee,  and  14  Full-page  Reproductions  from  the  Old  Masters. 
Crown  8vo.      5/.  net. 

Daily  Neivs. — "  Miss  Valentina  Hawtrey  has  given  a  most  e.vcellent  English  version  of  this 

pleasant  work." 
Academy. — "  The  fourteenth-century  fancy  plays  delightfully  around  the  meagre  details  of 

the  Gospel  narrative,  and  presents  the  heroine  in  quite  an   unconventional   light.  .  .  . 

In  its  directness  and  artistic  simplicity  and  its  wealth  of  homely  detail  the  story  reads 

like  the  work  of  some  Boccaccio  of  the  cloister;  and  fourteen  illustrations  taken  from 

Italian  painters  happily  illustrate  the  charming  text." 


MEN  AND  LETTERS.     By  Herbert  Paul,  m.p. 

Fourth  Edition.     Crown  8vo.      5/.  net. 

Daily  News. — "  Mr.  Herbert  Paul  has  done  scholars  and  the  reading  world  in  general  a  high 

service  in  publishing  this  collection  of  his  essays. " 
Punch. — "  His  fund  of  good  stories  is  inexhaustible,  and  his  urbanity  never  fails.     On  the 

whole,  this  book  is  one  of  the  very  best  examples  of  literature  on  literature  and  life." 

ROBERT    BROWNING  :    Essays    and    Thoughts. 

By  J.  T.  Nettleship.    With  Portrait.     Crown  8vo.      5/.  6^/.  net. 
(Third  Edition.) 


I 


MEMOIRS,   BIOGRAPHIES,   Etc.     15 
A    LATER    PEPYS.     The   Correspondence   of  Sir 

William  Weller  Pepys,  Bart.,  Master  in  Chancery,  1 758-1825, 
with  Mrs.  Chapone,  Mrs.  Hartley,  Mrs.  Montague,  Hannah  More, 
William  Franks,  Sir  James  Macdonald,  Major  Rennell,  Sir 
Nathaniel  Wraxall,  and  others.  Edited,  with  an  Introduction  and 
Notes,  by  Alice  C.  C.  Gaussen.  With  numerous  Illustrations. 
Demy  8vo.      In  Two  Volumes.      32/.  net. 

Douglas  Sladen  in  the  Queen. — "  This  is  indisputably  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  the 
literature  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  is  a  veritable  storehouse  of  society  gossip,  the 
art  criticism,  and  the  vwts  of  famous  people." 

Academy  and  Literature. — "The  effect  consists  in  no  particular  passages,  but  in  the  total 
impression,  the  sense  of  atmosphere,  and  the  general  feeling  that  we  are  being  introduced 
into  the  very  society  in  which  the  writer  moved." 

Daily  News. — "  To  Miss  Alice  Gaussen  is  due  the  credit  of  sorting  out  the  vast  collection  of 
correspondence  which  is  here  presented  to  the  public.  .  .  .  Her  industry  is  indefatigable, 
and  her  task  has  been  carried  out  with  completeness.  The  notes  are  full  of  interesting 
items;  the  introduction  is  exhaustive;  and  the  collection  of  illustrations  enhances  th« 
value  of  the  book." 

World. — "Sir  William  Pepys's  correspondence  is  admirable." 

ROBERT   LOUIS    STEVENSON,  AN   ELEGY; 
"    AND   OTHER   POEMS,   MAINLY    PERSONAL.     By 

Richard  Le  Gallienne.     Crown  8vo.     4/.  bd.  net. 

Daily  Chronicle. — "Few,  indeed,  could  be  more  fit  to  sing  the  dirge  of  that  'Virgil  of 
Prose '  than  the  poet  whose  curiosa/elicitas  is  so  close  akin  to  Stevenson's  own  charm." 

Globe. — "The  opening  Elegy  on  R.  L.  Stevenson  includes  some  tender  and  touching 
passages,  and  has  throughout  the  merits  of  sincerity  and  clearness." 

RUDYARD  KIPLING  :  a  Criticism.     By  Richard 

Le  Gallienne.  With  a  Bibliography  by  John  Lane.  Crown 
8vo.      3 J.  6d.  net. 

Guardian. — "  One  of  the  cleverest  pieces  of  criticism  we  have  come  across  for  a  long  time." 

Scotsman — "  It  shows  a  keen  insight  into  the  essential  qualities  of  literature,  and  analj'ses 

Mr.  Kipling's  product  with  the  skill  of  a  craftsman  .  .  .  the  positive  and  outstanding 

merits  of  Mr.  Kipling's  contribution  to  the  literature  of  his  time  are  marshalled  by  his 

critic  with  quite  uncommon  skill." 

POEMS.     By  Edward  Cracroft  Lefroy.     With  a 

Memoir  by  W.  A.  Gill,  and  a  Reprint  of  Mr.  J.  A.  Symonds' 
Critical  Essay  on  "  Echoes  from  Theocritus."  Photogravure 
Portrait.     Crown  8vo.      5/.  net. 

Tke  Times. — "  .  .  .  the  leading  features  of  the  sonnets  are  the  writer's  intense  sympathy 
with  human  life  in  general  and  with  young  life  in  particular ;  his  humour,  his  music,  and, 
in  a  word,  the  quality  which  '  leaves  a  melody  afloat  upon  the  brain,  a  savour  on  the 
mental  palate.' " 

Bookman. — "The  Memoir,  by  Mr.  W.  A.  Gill,  is  a  sj'mpathetic  sketch  of  an  earnest  and 
lovable  character  ;  and  the  critical  estimate,  by  J.  Addington  Symonds,  is  a  charmingly- 
written  and  suggestive  essay." 

APOLOGIA   DIFFIDENTIS.       By  W.   Compton 

LtiTH.      Demy  8vo.      7/.  dd.  net. 

*»*  The  book,  ivhich  is  largely  autobiographical,  describes  the  effect  e^f  diffidence  upon 
an  indiztidual  life,  and  contains,  ii'ith  a  consideration  of  the  nature  of  shyness,  a  plea  for 
tC kindlier  judgtucnt  of  the  inz'eterate  case. 

Daily  Mail. — "  Mr.  Leith  has  written  a  very  beautiful  book,  and  perhaps  the  publisher's 
claim  that  this  will  be  a  new  classic  is  not  too  bold." 


i6     MEMOIRS,   BIOGRAPHIES,   Etc. 


BOOKS    AND    PERSONALITIES:    Essays.      By 

H.  W.  Nevinson.     Crown  8vo.      5/.  net. 

Daily  Chronicle. — "  It  is  a  remarkable  thing  and  probably  unique,  that  a  writer  of  such 
personality  as  the  author  of  '  Between  the  Acts '  should  not  only  feel,  but  boldly  put 
on  paper,  his  homage  and  complete  subjection  to  the  genius  of  one  a^ter  another  of 
these  men.  He  is  entirely  free  from  that  one  common  virtue  of  critics,  which  is 
superiority  to  the  author  criticised." 

OTIA  :  Essays.     By  Armine  Thomas  Kent.     Crown 

8vo.      5/.  net. 

BOOKS    AND    PLAYS  :    A   Volume  of  Essays  on 

Meredith,  Borrow,  Ibsen,  and  others.  By  Allan  Monkhouse. 
Crown  8vo.      5/.  net. 

LIBER     AMORIS  ;     or,    The    New    Pygmalion. 

By  William  Hazlitt.  Edited,  with  an  introduction,  by  Richard 
Le  Gallienne.  To  which  is  added  an  exact  transcript  of  the 
original  MS.,  Mrs.  Hazlitt's  Diary  in  Scotland,  and  Letters  never 
before  published.  Portrait  after  Bewick,  and  facsimile  Letters. 
400  copies  only.     4to.     364  pp.      Buckram.      21/.  net. 

TERRORS  OF  THE  LAW  :    being  the  Portraits 

of  Three  Lawyers — the  original  Weir  of  Hermiston,  "  Bloody 
Jeffreys,"  and  "  Bluidy  Advocate  Mackenzie."  By  Francis 
Watt.    With  3  Photogravure  Portraits.     Fcap.  8vo.    4/.  6d.  net. 

The  Literary  World. — "The  book  is  altogether  entertaining;  it  is  brisk,  lively,  and 
effective.  Mr.  Watt  has  already,  in  his  two  series  of  'The  Law's  Lumber  Room,' 
established  his  place  as  an  essayist  in  legal  lore,  and  the  present  book  will  increase  his 
reputation." 

CHAMPIONS   OF  THE  FLEET.     Captains  and 

Men-of-War  in  the  Days  that  Helped  to  make  the  Empire.  By 
Edward  Eraser.     With  16  Full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo. 

*»*  Mr.  Fraser  takes  in  the  whole  range  of  our  Navy's  story.  First  there  is  the  story 
of  the  "Dreadnought"  told  for  the  first  time:  how  the  name  was  originally  selected  by 
Elizabeth,  ^uhy  she  chose  it,  the  launch,  how  under  Drake  she  /ought  against  the 
Armada,  how  her  captain  was  knighted  on  the  quarter-deck  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy. 
From  this  point  the  7iame  is  traced  down  to  the  present  leziiathan  which  bears  it.  This  is 
but  one  of  the  ^'champions"  dealt  "with  in  lilr.  Fraser  s  volume,  which  is  illustrated  by 
tome  very  interesting  reproductions. 

The    LONDONS    of    the    British    Fleet  :     The 

Story  of  Ships  bearing  the  name  of  Old  Renown  in  Naval 
Annals.  By  Edward  Fraser.  With  8  Illustrations  in  colours, 
and  20  in  black  and  white. 

JOHN    LANE,    the    BODLEY    HEAD,    VIGO    STREET,    LONDON,    W. 


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